Honey Eyes
by Sarahbeth Lazic - Author
Summary: Shinji Hirako thought he had lost his past, erased. One moment, one chance meeting and the past came back. He thought he had lost her to destiny and to fate. How could have forgotten those honey eyes and the woman who would forever hold onto his heart? Though the battle with Aizen was close at hand, Shinji's battle with his past had only begun. (M for mature situations. Enjoy)
1. A Chance Meeting

Honey Eyes A Bleach Fanfiction S . Lazic

Honey Kissed Eyes

Honey Eyes Book 1

A Bleach Fanfiction

Sarahbeth Lazic

A Thorn Publication

**Honey Eyes – A Bleach Fanfiction**

A Thorn Publication

Story concept / personal characters © 2007 by Sarahbeth Lazic

Bleach / all original characters / concepts © 2001 by Tite Kubo

All rights reserved.

SELazic

**ISBN-13: 978-1530481033 **

**ISBN-10: 1530481031 **

Cover and internal art designs © to:

Kaori Tanaka - **ktanakda **

This is a work of fiction and only intended for private sale through the author. The names, characters, places, and events are products of the author's / creator's imaginations, have been used in fictitious manner and are not to be considered reality. Any resemblance of characters to actual persons, living or deceased, is purely coincidental.

The author and creator hold exclusive rights to the works, characters and story line concepts. Duplication in a whole or any part of this book in print, photocopying, digitally, or any other form is prohibited without written permission from the author.

Producing or providing this book for free distribution via torrent, file sharing, uploading/downloading, or any other electronic sharing format, or adding this book to any sort of electronic storage/retrieval archive is prohibited by the author. Please do not participate in or support electronic piracy of copyrighted material. Your support is appreciated by the author.

This book contains extreme acts of graphic and erotic sexual situations. This book is intended to be read and enjoyed by mature, adult readers. This book is not intended to be read or purchased by underage readers. The author of this book is not responsible for the reading or purchasing of this material by underage readers, readers with sensitive sexual or ideological views, or readers with unsettled mental conditions.

From the Author

**I** began to write Honey Eyes back in 2007 after falling in love with Tite Kubo's character Shinji Hirako after years of watching Bleach when it originally aired on Cartoon Network's Adult Swim. This story was a massive undertaking at the time and, for several years, took over every minute of my free time. I made friends and lost friends in part to this story, and I became enwrapped within the intense and dramatic world of Kubo's Bleach. Kubo's creation knows no bounds within his creativity and has inspired me for almost ten years to continue on with this story. From his creation were born characters that have forever been burned upon my soul, and inked upon my flesh (my tattoo dedicated to Ren and Seiji).

As I progressed with my life and in my career of professional writing, Honey Eyes was set to the side - but never forgotten. I retained friends who continued to support me with this work and who encouraged me to continue working on it. Originally, Honey Eyes posted fifty-four chapters and was still listed as incomplete. At this time, I do not know how many chapters will appear within the completed manuscript, but I know that there will be many.

There are many people I would personally thank, if I could, but the list would be too long. So a general thank you will be given to all of those who have read this story over the last nine years and who have become friends to me, especially those who have never forgotten that the story continues to survive.

Thank you. 3

Chapter Index

A Chance Meeting ~ 5

Memories ~ 29

Emerald Eyes ~ 54

Dreams ~ 81

Because I Love You ~ 116

Forgive Me ~ 137

My Captain ~ 153

What Had Been ~ 168

Tears ~ 192

The Truth ~ 210

With All My Heart ~ 231

Just Feel ~ 245

Gallery ~ 262

Public Publications / Current Publications ~ 271

About the Author ~ 273

A Chance Meeting

**S**hinji Hirako released a slow and drawn out groan of annoyance. "Damn," he muttered while shielding his eyes from the blazing sun as he took a peek up to the crystal clear sky. "Why does it have to be so hot?"

The temperature must have been ninety-five degrees yet to him the heat felt over one-hundred. Walking beneath the sun was beyond agitating! Besides the increasing heat bubbling a surge of annoyance within him, he was already agitated by attending yet another dull day at the human school, which drove him to the point of insanity, beyond the insanity that Hiyori laid down upon him daily. How could mortal teenagers stand all those boring and pointless classes that dragged on for hours? Math? Who really needed math in their basic life? Besides, what did a Soul Reaper need to know about math? Two plus two equaled…something, right?

So what if Shinji wasn't the greatest of students? He didn't need to excel in academia considering he had been one of the greatest Captains that the Seireitei had ever seen. Then again, that position in his life had ended a long time ago, so why was he putting up with all of this human drama - those screaming high school girls, Ichigo Kurosaki, his idiot friends, and those empty-headed teachers? Here he thought those old instructors at the Soul Reaper academy had been hard asses. These teachers at Karakura high school were demons! That's what they were - demons! Just today he was assigned over one-hundred pages to read for some science class, or was that lit class? History? Who cared anyway? It wasn't as if he was going to do the work.

A sly smirk spread across Shinji's thin lips. He never did the work assigned to him. It wasn't as if he had plans to graduate at the top of his class, or graduate at all. He just needed to get through these next few months while he trained Ichigo, that's all. Just a few more months of keeping up the illusion and sticking near the kid, then he could leave that Hell-hole called a high school.

So much trouble.

Shinji certainly was taking his time returning to the old warehouse in the abandoned section of the old Karakura industrial center. He may not have parents to go home to and who would complain to him to do his homework assignments, eat his veggies, go to bed on time, not to stay out till odd hours of the morning with cute girls but it sure felt as if he did considering he would be walking right into Hiyori's banshee of a voice screeching at him till his ears bled. Was this his life now, being assaulted at school by an endless supply of drama only to be assaulted at his temporary home by even more drama? No wonder he wanted to drag out this walk back home.

Smirking, he glanced down to his watch. He was already an hour late. He was rather surprised that Hiyori had not been sent out to drag him home by his ear, considering she had an impeccable ability of locating him at the most inconvenient time.

If it wasn't so hot…

That was his thought as he just happened to pass a new café that had just been opened a few weeks ago. Word around the school was that this shop made amazing coffees and fruit smoothies and slushies. He could go for a chilled slushy about now. Beneath the burning sun and thickening heat, his uniform was starting to stick to him. Mid-summer heat was so annoying. As he stared at the windows of the café, and the people inside enjoying the air-conditioning, Shinji made up his desperate and over-heated mind then marched himself into the wonderfully cool shop.

Heaven!

Shinji was in Heaven the moment the crisp, chilly air hit him. Not only was he greeted by the comforting environment of the establishment, he was surrounded by soft jazz playing from the ceiling speakers and the aroma of both brewing coffee and an array of freshly baked pastries: scones, muffins, cookies, and many other delicious goodies. His thin lips stretched into a bright grin as he eyed the refrigerated case of sandwiches and baked goods. Why hadn't he thought of stopping in here before? The answer was clear. The Visored muttered under his breath as an image of Hiyori's rage filled face flashed through his mind. His entire body shuddered.

"Can I help you, sir?" asked a cheerful employee who stood patiently behind the register.

Shinji blinked his eyes and awoke from his day-terror to regard the employee. "Yeah," he mumbled, diverting his eyes to the menu panels upon the wall. "I've never been here before. What do you suggest?"

The college aged girl smiled as she glanced over her shoulder, scanning the countless combinations of drinks. She said, "If you like chocolate, we have a very nice smoothie that is a combination of mint and luscious dark chocolate. If you want something like coffee, we have a nice marzipan latte that can be served hot or cold. Either way, it's simply yummy. However, that one's a little on the sweet side. If you don't like sweet coffee, you can always go with a basic latte. We also have different smoothies and slushies."

Choices.

Shinji's right eyebrow twitched. Damn, he hated making choices. "I'll take a tall of your mint chocolate smoothie and,' he paused while glancing to the snack display, 'one of those strawberry pastries." He tapped to the glass to indicate the particular treat.

"One of the strawberry cream cheese crêpes?"

"Yeah."

"Great choice!" She took his payment as she processed the order then smiled to him and said, "You can go find a table if you'd like. Your order will be brought to you." She then offered him the receipt. "Here's your receipt."

"Thanks," he muttered as he took the thin slip of paper, shrugged his bony shoulders then moved off to find a table.

After slipping his thin body through the café's patrons, Shinji took a seat at the high counter that looked out to the street. Resting his cheek within an unturned hand, he yawned and waited for his order. Alright, so what could he do while he enjoyed the cool air-conditioned shop and his order? He glanced to his leather school-bag that he had placed next to him and scowled. Like Hell if he was going to open one of his school-book, so studying was out of the question. He thought then to his cell phone. Cell phones were always amusing while bored.

Hiyori - Hiyori - Hiyori - Ichigo - Kensei - Hiyori...

Shinji groaned while scanning the list of missed calls and messages. Four calls from Hiyori, each accompanied by her wonderful voice, and a few text messages. If he had it his way, he would block the witch from his number, but that wasn't going to happen any time soon. The moment Hiyori's harsh, high pitched voice began screaming from within his phone, Shinji regretted checking his voice messages while his phone was on speaker. What was she barking about anyway? Wait, was that a giggle? Arching a thin blond brow, Hirako glanced to his phone with a perplexed gaze. Hiyori doesn't giggle, and even if she did the giggle would sound like nails on a chalkboard. The giggle he heard was innocent and sweet.

So who giggled?

There! He heard it again - such a soft, sweet, and almost shy giggle. Curious as to where the giggle originated from, Shinji began to glance around. He looked above him, to the side, and over his shoulder before he set his eyes upon the source of the soft, sweet sound. Shinji stared openly to the young woman, in her early twenties, seated next to him and felt an instant touch of attraction. She was stunningly beautiful with waves of long and luscious chestnut touched hair that melted against her creamy skin. Though she had her attention locked upon an open book, it was obvious from the playful look upon her face that she was trying hard not to giggle again.

Tipping his head, a brow arching, Shinji continued to stare at her. She was trying to avoid his stare by tucking back a lock of her hair and, in doing so, exposed a hint of a cheek where the Visored saw a delicate scattering of freckles tickling her cheek and nose. When she finally took a quick glance to him, Shinji saw a set of almond shaped eyes, the color of pure honey, cradled in silk lashes.

For the first time in decades, Shinji Hirako felt his heart skip.

Who was this girl, and why was she giggling at him?

Suddenly, Hiyori's sharp voice began shouting words that one should never hear come from a lady's mouth. Then again, Hiyori was no lady but a demon from the icy pits of Hell sent to torment his life, both of his lives. His eyes went wide as he began to desperately try and shut the she-beast's voice off from the phone. He paused in his actions when another set of giggles fell, this time covered by the touch of a hand.

The young woman was trying hard not to break down into fits of laughter. Usually, he would be rather irritated that somebody would be laughing at him, but not with this beauty. "What's so funny?" he asked, trying hard to hide his own amusement.

She finally looked in his direction, and her eyes were sparkling with amusement. "My apologies," she said in quiet apology. "I didn't mean to overhear your message, but that voice…"

"Voice?" Shinji asked more to himself since his attention seemed to be caught by her honey touched eyes.

She nodded and pointed to his phone. "On your phone. That girl's voice sounds…"

"Like a harpy?" Shinji finished, grinning wickedly.

She blinked then chuckled softly. "That wasn't my first choice of description to use…"

"A banshee?" Shinji suggested, staring at the way her petite nose scrunched when she chuckled.

The mortal began to laugh softly, leaning back in her seat. The way her chestnut lashes dusted her cheeks when she closed her eyes was just too damn cute. Everything this girl did was cute even down to the way her slender shoulders popped up when she giggled. When she calmed, her eyes once again opened and looked to him. "That depends. Does somebody die whenever she opens her mouth?"

Oh yeah, the myth of the Banshee. Supposedly, when the supper-natural creature was heard screaming, somebody was going to die. Now that was a perfect way to describe Hiyori. Shinji chuckled then shook his head. "Fortunately no. Otherwise, most of Karakura Town's population would be dead by now."

"Excuse me. Here is your order, sir."

Shinji nearly jumped out of his chair when a male employee came right between him and the girl, shoving a tray at him. "Thanks." He grumbled within his mind, _"Now get out of my way, jack-ass, before I make you get out of my way."_

"Enjoy!"

"Yeah, yeah. Now go away," Shinji grumbled while waving the employee away.

At this moment, Shinji didn't want to be interrupted by another annoying person, not when his attention had been captured by the young woman next to him. What was so unusual about her anyway, besides being young and human? For one thing, she was far from being Japanese. Another note of interest was that he didn't recognize the school uniform she wore. Still, there was something else about her that marked her as highly unusual. He couldn't put a finger on what was tickling him, but one thing was for sure, Shinji was starting to feel a strong sense of Déjá vu.

"Nice choice. The crêpes made here are very delicious. You will enjoy it," she said, glancing quickly to the thin pancake-like item filled with chunks of freshly sliced strawberries and globs of cream cheese.

Her accent! That was the other point that confused Shinji. She spoke fluent Japanese but there was an unknown accent behind her words. Wait, what did she say? Shinji looked to the crêpe then smirked and stated, "I hope so. I can't remember the last time I had one of these."

"They're very delicious when done correctly. Of course, if you want a proper and perfected crêpe, you must go to France."

"France, huh?" smirked Shinji as he took a bite. "That country is a bit off my walk home."

She smiled a smile that was tender and gentle - a smile that had Shinji wondering when he had last seen such an honest expression. Before he could stop himself, he inquired of her, "Do you mind me asking you something?"

The young woman tipped her head and turned her curious attention to him. "That depends on the question," she said carefully as she closed her book. "Is your question one of those questions that is only asked after we are on a first name basis so that slapping you will not get me into trouble?"

"Slap me?" How much abuse must he take at the hands of women? Shinji was tempted to take a quick look to see if her shoes were tied on tight enough.

She chuckled then shook her head gently. "I'm only teasing you. But sure, you can ask me a question."

A slow smile curled Shinji's thin lips. Ah, sweet mortal humor. "Alright," he said after swallowing another bite then turned to face her completely, leaning his thin frame to the chair-back. He studied her for a moment then asked, "You're not from around here, are you?"

Amusement lit her pretty features, and her lips tucked up in a faint grin. "You are a smart one."

Shinji shrugged after he cast her a teasing wink. "I try."

"You're correct. I'm not originally from this area, or Japan for that fact."

"No kidding? Your Japanese is very good."

"Thank you."

Shinji leaned a bit closer while offering her his typical cocky grin. "Now, how about that first name basis?"

Beneath his personal question, she blushed, and Shinji found the tickling color of rose hue dusting her cheeks very attractive. Clearing her voice gently, she tucked a stray lock of her chestnut hair behind a single pierced ear. Everything she did was…attractive. "You're blushing," Shinji pointed out.

She blinked her slender eyes in surprise then touched a set of delicate fingertips to her warming cheeks. "Oh…" she said in a soft breath only to have her cheeks darken. "That's embarrassing."

_'Embarrassing? It's adorable,' _Shinji thought to himself as he watched her try to hide her blush. "So tell me, where are you originally from? There's an accent to your voice, but I can't put my finger on the nationality."

After taking a sip of her chai tea latte, she turned her eyes back to him. "I'm surprised you caught that. Not many do till they know me for a little while. I'm originally from Shrewsbury. It's a town near the border of England and Wales."

Ah, now that made sense. British. He has never met anyone from England before. Shinji smirked to himself. "How long have you been in Karakura Town?"

"About twelve years now. My father moved my mother and me here when he was named the new CEO of the Japanese division of his company." That's when she motioned to the label upon the chest pocket of her white blouse. "I'm in my first year attending Saint Bridget's."

"Saint Bridget's?"

"It's a private women's university."

"Isn't it an international university for smart, rich girls?" Shinji couldn't help but cast her a wink as he took a sip of his drink.

"Yes," she answered with a soft laugh. "It is not a very large school so not many people know it even exists. I believe our student body is just over three-hundred this year."

"That is small."

"Small isn't bad. It means we have smaller class sizes, closer personal relations with our instructors, and a greater classmate bond. I prefer an academic atmosphere and institution that way." After taking another sip, a soft relaxing sigh fluttered past her lips. "I have seen the Karakura high school. That place is huge and rather intimidating."

Shinji scoffed while taking another sip of the chocolate mint smoothie. Not too bad, rather tasty. "It's not that bad of a place, if you like mental institutions," he said, licking his lips. Through the corner of his keen eyes, the Visored caught a glimpse of the book she was reading. It was a text book. "Psychology and the study of human emotions," he read the lettering off the text book cover.

"Pardon?"

"Your text book."

"Oh…yes," she chuckled with a slow nod her head. "I'm taking a graduate level class that focuses primarily on the psychological impairments of emotions."

"You're in your first year but already taking a graduate class? Damn." Shinji now regarded her in an entirely new light. Not only was she beautiful but she was smart and intelligent. "Brains, I like that in a girl."

"They're not just for eating," she teased past a little snicker.

Shinji blinked, arching a brow.

Seeing the confused look upon his face, she waved a hand. "Sorry. I couldn't help that comment. I'm a big fan of zombies and horror movies."

Shinji tipped his head.

"You know? Zombies eat brains. Ever seen the Night of the Living Dead movies? They're cult classics."

He shook his head in silence.

"Such a shame. You're missing out."

Their conversation was broken by the sudden chime of a cell phone alarm clock going off. It wasn't his, so it must have been hers. She quickly pulled her phone from her pocket to turn the quiet alarm off. With a sigh, she tucked the phone back in her pocket then began to gather her belongings.

"It's time for me to go," she said with a bit of a frown to her luscious lips. She offered one last look to Shinji before giving him a polite bow. "Thank you for the conversation. I have really enjoyed it. Have a good day." She went to walk away but stopped before looking back to him.

He took note of the apprehensive look that crossed her face.

"My name is Juliana Stanford."

She left Shinji gaping at her as she quickly departed the café. In a split moment, he had gone from being depressed at the idea of coming face to face with Hiyori's shoe to enjoying time spent with a beautiful stranger. Sadly, as Juliana disappeared out of sight, he found himself slipping back to the depressed state knowing that, now, all he had to look forwards to was trying to avoid the insane Visored. That would be a challenge till he found the device the little witch stuck on him that tracked his every move. Shinji shook his head as he turned back to enjoying his smoothie and crêpe. Why should he allow the thought of Hiyori to destroy the happiness that Juliana Stanford had brought into his life, if even for a fleeting moment? With a disgruntled mutter, he set his cheek into an upturned palm while he lifted his smoothie with his other hand, turning the plastic cup before his view.

"Well, hello Juliana Stanford. Such a pleasure to meet you," said Shinji Hirako with a devious grin.

**W**hen was the last time he experienced a daydream anyway? Oh yeah, just the other day. It seemed that his mind was always in the clouds over something. Then again, this _something_ was different. This _something_ belonged to a set of stunning honey touched eyes, eyes that belong to Juliana Stanford. He had left the coffee shop with his trademark grin settled upon his handsome and sharp face and was clearly in a state of daydreaming. Was he whistling?

Pain.

Sudden pain tore through his body the moment he walked into the dimly lit warehouse. The pain struck without warning and to the right side of his face sending him flying backwards. He landed flat on his back with one of Hiyori's sandals plastered to his face. He should have known - damn it! Shinji should have known pain was coming as he made his way into the worn down structure, but his mind was locked within his pleasantly wandering imagination.

"Where have you been?" screeched the pigtailed Visored at the top of her lungs while standing over him, fuming and with eyes filled with a mixture of annoyance, anger, and blood lust.

Shinji groaned.

"Get up!" she yelled, running her foot into his side.

With lips thinning, Shinji growled towards his short comrade. "What was that for?" he shouted. His eyes narrowed dangerously towards her as he slowly stood. Damn, his face stung and now his side was throbbing! Shinji instantly regretted questioning her as he saw her right eyebrow twitch and the sides of her lips thin.

"What did you just say?" Hiyori growled, her fists tightening at her sides. She took a threatening step forward.

With a laugh, Shinji waved his hands before him. "Nothing!" he barked.

"That's what I thought. Where have you been? You were supposed to be back over two hours ago! Why can't you take anything seriously, you big idiot?"

That was a damn good question. Rubbing a hand against his sore hip, Shinji pondered his answer. In the end, he rolled his eyes and shrugged of his thin shoulders. "Can't answer that," he stated casually. He smirked as he gave the shorter woman a pat on her head just as he began to stroll past her. His hands went into his pants' pockets as his head ducked down so the raging woman couldn't see his smirk. Shinji so enjoyed tormenting her even if it did get him hurt - very hurt.

Hiyori's entire body cringed beneath the pet. That jerk! Turning about, she glared daggers into his retreating back. Why is it that she was the only one annoyed with the fact that Shinji refused to take his duties seriously? Hiyori groaned as she looked upon a few of the other Visoreds who were just lounging around as if they had nothing better to do

"They're all hopeless," she groaned as her shoulders slumped.

Glancing up, she saw Shinji leap over the couch to flop lazily onto his back, preparing for one of his signature naps. She wouldn't be surprised if it was Shinji's laziness that had caused Sōsuke Aizen to start his war with the Seireitei over a hundred years ago. After all, Shinji had been Aizen's Captain before the glasses-wearing bastard had gotten Shinji and the other Visoreds excommunicated and labeled traitors to the whole of the Soul Society. One would think that Shinji would have learned a lesson from everything that had occurred, that laziness was not acceptable.

Shinji didn't care about the past. Concerning himself with events that could not be changed took too much time. Besides, there were more important matters that he would be facing that would, eventually, remind him of the pain of history. He had too much on his mind concerning the coming future to dwell on the activities of everyday life. He had to deal with the coming destruction of the world and the Soul Society that Aizen was planning. And not just that, it was Shinji's primary responsibility to get Ichigo up to par so when the young Soul Reaper faced Aizen, and his horde of freaks, Ichigo would be ready for the battle. Speaking of the orange haired thorn in Shinji's side, Ichigo was supposed to be here later to start another session of training.

Sighing, Shinji turned his eyes upwards to the high ceiling of warped metal. His lips slowly fell with a heavily weighted frown as he found his attention and thoughts turning back to the honey eyed Juliana. Never before had a girl filled his mind to such a degree. Sure, he loved to flirt and poke fun at the easily flustered human women, but Juliana was different. Oddly enough, he found no interest in teasing her, only discovering more about her.

He groaned thoughtfully from under the cover of a thin arm that settled over his eyes. He breathed out one word, "Damn."

**L**ater that day, during the entire time he was training with Ichigo, Shinji's mind continued to wander back to Juliana. Her giggle would dance through his ears amid the crashing sound of clashing blades and of battle, and before he knew what had occurred, he had lost all concentration. If Kensei had not called out a warning to him, Ichigo's current attack would have struck him clean. What was wrong with him? It was not as if his mind was doing naughty things to the image of that chestnut haired girl. No, it was like his thoughts were trying to remember something about her, that little something he could not fully captured back at the café, yet all he could remember were pointless flashes of blurred images within his mind's eye. Obviously, his subconscious wanted to delve deeper into his interaction for Juliana and root around for some hidden meaning as to what was irking him.

Just what was going on?

When the training session was over, Ichigo was flat on the ground, panting and muttering every promise of retribution he could muster at the Visored's 'leader'. Sadly, Shinji wasn't paying much attention anymore. When the sparing was over, Shinji turned away and retired into his thoughts. Not a word was spoken to the stunned group as he made his way into the depths of the old building, wanting to be left alone. By the time he found himself sinking into the depths of sleep, the hour of the night was turning over to the early hours of morning. Juliana had kept him up all night! His mind haunted him from within his erratic dreams of remnants of their brief introduction. He couldn't stop thinking about her eyes, the focal point of his attention. The harder he tried to remove her from his mind, the more impossible the process became. She was just some human girl. No, she was a beautiful young human woman with a giggle that was Heavenly. The way she had smiled at him, the way her eyes had slightly squinted when she giggled, and the way her scent had been laced with the subtle and hypnotic allure of flowers…damn it! Shinji groaned, rolling over in his bed, and pressed his face into his pillow. If he couldn't get the images of her out of his mind, he would let the lack of air do it for him!

By late morning, sadly, nothing he tried worked. He woke with such a wave of exhaustion that even standing from his bed was an act he could hardly accomplish. During breakfast, he sat in a daze while listening to Hiyori and Kensei bicker over some random topic of argument while he poked his fork at his breakfast. With time quickly slipping him by, Shinji quietly recused himself to begin his day by dragging himself back to school. One more day of sitting in class and listening to the dull instructor preach out lessons of pointless knowledge. One more day of Orihime's aloof personality bugging him to an early grave. And one more day of Ichigo griping to him about Sōsuke and the looming war. Shinji ended up sleeping through most of the class periods till somebody slapped him upside the head when the lunch bell rang. Even within his sleep, Juliana's honey eyes haunted him! When the lunch bell tolled, Shinji turned his eyes out the window as the thought of ditching class twisted about in his mind.

"Hello, Shinji!"

That voice! That bright and always obnoxiously cheerful voice suddenly snapped him from his thoughts. Groaning, he turned about and came face to face with Orihime's Bambi-like eyes. She was leaning way too close to him with that stupid, innocent smile upon her face. Instantly, her presence prickled his skin.

"Do you have anything to eat for lunch? If you'd like, you can share some of mine!" she chimed, shoving a container into his chest.

Shinji stretched his back and muttered, "No. I'm fine."

Orihime pouted as if she had actually been hurt.

"Hey," growled Ichigo as the Substitute Soul Reaper came to Shinji's desk.

Shinji groaned as he stretched his arms and with his lean fingers lacing behind his head. He turned to regard Ichigo with a look of annoyed temperance. "Can I help you?"

That's when the Ichigo leaned heavily to Shinji's desk. "What was that yesterday? You were so far off into space that our fight can't even be considered a fight!"

Shinji flinched as Ichigo slammed his hands down to the desk. Ichigo was furious, and with good reason. For weeks now Shinji had been pushing Ichigo harder and harder to improve and to go for the kill, yet yesterday it seemed that Shinji had gone a full turnaround from his own teachings. Ichigo was right. He had gone soft during their spar. Ichigo was training with all his soul and determination and with great passion, so it was safe to say that the way Shinji had fought was a slap to Ichigo's honor and pride.

Shinji leaned his chair back with his pale brown eyes turning up to the ceiling. "Yeah, sorry about that."

"Is that all you have to say?" Ichigo barked out. The chatter in the rest of the class room instantly hushed as all eyes turned towards them. All Ichigo had to do was glare towards the rest of the students and the unwanted attention turned away. He then leaned towards the Visored to whisper with a tight voice of anger, "You're not one to go soft, Shinji."

Their eyes met, flat and narrowed. Ichigo was waiting for an answer, and Shinji was trying to find an answer. In the end, Shinji stood, his chair scraping against the floor, and both of his hands went instantly to his pockets as he turned to walk around Ichigo. "You wouldn't understand."

"Wouldn't understand? Hey, wait!" Ichigo called out to Shinji as the Visored walked out of the class room.

"Is something wrong with Shinji, Ichigo?" Orihime asked, her lips tucking in a frown. "He's not acting like himself. He's usually much more…"

"I don't know what is wrong with him, Orihime." He shook his head then sighed heavily and said, "He wasn't himself yesterday, and he's not himself today either."

Orihime looked up to her friend with worry showing in her eyes. "What do you think is wrong with him, Ichigo?"

He groaned and ran a hand through his spiky orange hair. "How should I know?"

Orihime's frown suddenly brightened, and she pointed a finger to the ceiling. She barked happily, "I know! I'll go talk to him!" Then she and her one-tracked mind were off and following after Shinji.

Shinji thought he had found solitude beneath one of the trees within the school yard where he could be alone with his uneasy thoughts. If he couldn't nap inside, he would try and rest outside. At least out in the open he would be able to enjoy the summer breeze, so he stretched out upon the ground and turned his eyes to the sky where the thick cotton-like clouds drifted lazily by. One was a rabbit. One was a…what the Hell was that anyway? Shinji tipped his head with his nose scrunching as he looked to the bizarrely shaped cloud.

Shortly, the cloud was forgotten and replaced with a sense of peace. Sighing, Shinji laced his hands at the back of his neck, dipped his head down, and let the brow of his flat cap shield his eyes. Peace, however, was short lived as suddenly a shadow came over him. "Wha..?" asked the sleepy Visored as his subconscious awoke to the disappearance of sunny warmth. Through his curiosity, Shinji bumped the rim of his cap up with a thumb only to come face to face with Orihime's dopy smile.

"Shinji!" she cried out jovially.

In response to her greeting, he groaned and tugged his cap as far as it would go over his eyes. "What do you want?" he muttered under his breath.

"I just wanted to know why you're being so grumpy today. Is everything alright? Ichigo is sure mad at you for some reason. He thinks that there's something bothering you, and he really wants to know what that something is."

"So he sent you out here to bait me to explain myself?"

"No, not really." Orihime leaned down with her overly exaggerated smile plastered to her face. "I told him I would see if you're alright because nobody likes it when somebody's grumpy."

"What is wrong with you?" Shinji asked, looking up to her.  
"Are you on drugs or something? Why are you always so happy? It's humanly impossible to be as happy as you are every damn minute of the day."

Instead of taking his words as an insult, Orihime smiled brighter, and the smile made Shinji groaned. Orihime was even crazier than Hiyori.

Orihime shrugged but continued to smile to him. "Ichigo has said the same thing at times,' she paused while tapping her cheek as her features turned to ponder her bouncing thoughts, 'so has Renji and Uryuu, and …"

Shinji grumbled loudly, trying to keep the noise that was her voice out of his ears as he pressed his palms tightly to the sides of his head. His sanity could only last so long before it would crumble under her torture. "Enough!" Shinji barked. "Just shut up!"

"Yay!" Orihime tittered, clapping excitedly. "So tell me,' she inquired, coming to kneel down next to him, 'what has you so upset."

"I doubt you would understand."

"Why wouldn't I? Tatsuki says I'm a great listener, and I seem to know how to sort out problems." She nodded vigorously then blinked while glancing up to nothing particularly. "Or…was it that I know how to get into problems?"

Shinji cursed under his breath.

She chimed, "It doesn't matter. I want to help you."

"If you want to help you can go…" Shinji was about to curse her when she turned her puppy eyes on him. Unable to finish the threat of his statement, he found himself slumping against the tree trunk behind him with a breathy sigh. "Honestly? I don't even understand what's going on."

"Why don't you start by telling me what happened between you and Ichigo?"

"He's annoyed because yesterday, during our training session, I wasn't focused so the spar was half-assed."

Orihime nodded quickly. "Mmhm, Mmhm. Go on."

"Look, Orihime,' he sighed softly, 'I appreciate you wanting to help but I just feel awkward speaking to you about this. Can't you go bother somebody else and leave me to my nap?"

"Nope." She shook her head sending her brown hair in violent waves about her. "I told Ichigo I would come talk to you."

"You need help."

She chuckled silly and said with a proud declaration, "Captain Zaraki told me the same thing once."

"He needs help too."

"Please tell me what's wrong, Shinji."

What was he supposed to tell her, that he met a beautiful woman at the coffee shop and now he can't get her out of his head? If he did tell her, she would go right to Ichigo and then he would never hear the end of this entire confusing situation. No way. Shinji couldn't handle Ichigo finding out about the mysterious encounter with Julian that has left him with an unsettled mind. Shaking his head, Shinji stood with his hands stuffed into his pockets. He turned about and began to walk away.

"Shinji! Where are you going?" Orihime called.

Shinji stopped, canting his head over his shoulder to her. "I know you just want to be nice, it's your nature, but sometimes people need to figure out the solutions to their problems by themselves." He shrugged his overly thin shoulders and said, "It's a pride thing."

Orihime frowned an honest frown of disappointed.

Shinji was about to turn away and continue his walk when he stopped. He glanced over his shoulder once again and said, "Actually, I do have a question you may be able to answer."

When he mentioned needing her help for a question, her bright eyes went wide with excitement. "I'll try my best! What is your question?"

"Do you now the private university called Saint Bridget's?"

She snapped her fingers. "Oh, yes! Tatsuki knows a girl who goes there."

"Do you know where it is exactly?"

"No, but Tatsuki does. I can find out for you if you want."

"Do that." He turned, walking away with a wave of a hand to her. "Thanks, Orihime."

Class resumed within an hour, the bell softly chiming across the school yard with a call to all students. Once class had started, Shinji had to wait to find out if Orihime had gotten any information on the directions and address he requested from Tatsuki. The hours clicked on by slowly till the sound of the clock's abrasive clicking drove him crazy!

As he sat at his desk, staring at the chalkboard, he began to question his own rationality as to why he asked Orihime if she knew of the school. Just what had he been thinking? What was he planning to do, go walking to Saint Bridget's just to find Juliana? What would he do when he found her? She'd probably think he was stalking her! So why was there an overwhelming intensity building within him that was pushing him to see her again?

All those questions running through his head were making a well-defined headache develop. When the final bell sounded, he nearly fell out of his chair from surprise since he had become so lost to his thoughts. Not but a minute after the chime sounded, Orihime appeared at the front of his desk. She was holding out a small piece of paper.

"What's this?" Shinji asked, taking the paper.

"It's the address and directions to Saint Bridget's. I told you that I would ask Tatsuki, so here you go."

Blinking, Shinji opened the folded paper and there upon it was address to the school. "Thanks, Orihime. I really appreciate this."

"You're welcome, Shinji. I hope you find the solution to what's troubling you."

The Visored gave a slight nod of his head and tucked the paper into his shirt pocket. "So do I, Orihime, so do I."

**S**hinji moved quickly from rooftop to rooftop as he raced across Karakura Town, following the directions to Saint Bridget's. If he hurried, he would make it before the school cleared out after the last bell. He had no idea when the academy released its students, but as long as he used Shunpo he would arrive and wait for the bell.

Finally, the educational institution came into view, a building of gothic architecture sticking out amongst the modern buildings that surround it. As he neared the school, Shinji slowed his pace then landed gracefully into a walking stride in an alleyway a block from the school's front gate. He couldn't just appear out of nowhere, now could he?

As he rounded the corner of the alley, the school bell chimed, releasing onto the world a multitude of students all in matching uniforms. Shinji took a position where he could see the line of students walking through the iron made gate while chattering, laughing, and waving to each other their farewells. Shinji scanned the crowd with hopes of not missing Juliana as she departed, and for a moment his mind began to question his motives that put him at the gates. He thought back to Orihime and Ichigo's questions - what was wrong with him?

Nope, that wasn't her or that one. That girl was cute - hips too small though. Damn, that girl was thinner than he was! Where was she? Shinji casually made his way down the sidewalk while flashing a charming grin to the young women who giggled as he walked past the gates. His charming magnetism never failed - never. Usually, he would stop and flirt but this time around his mind would not allow him to do so. Both his mind and his body were on a single path to find Juliana, and no other girl who looked at him would distract him. As he took to leaning against the wall, some students would offer their own flirtatious smiles, and though he felt flattered, he honestly did not care for their attention.

He had been standing near the gate for close to twenty minutes, according to his watch, when all of a sudden he heard the call of Juliana's name from across the courtyard.

"Thanks again for the help, Juliana! I really appreciate it!"

Shinji's eyes flashed open and he quickly glanced over his shoulder towards the direction the call had sounded. There she was! Though her back was to him, there was no mistaking the recognition of her flowing hair.

"You're welcome, Claire. Don't worry about the chemistry test. Mrs. Mikado gives plenty of extra credit so, if you miss anything, you can regain some extra credit later on. I'll see you tomorrow! Have a good night!" Juliana offered another wave to Claire then turned and came walking towards the gate.

Shinji felt his heart slam against his chest with a wild thump and felt his throat go dry as he watched her move gracefully. Growling, he forced himself under control. "Get a grip," he muttered under his breath.

Time began to slow, playing out the scene before him in slow motion. Watching Juliana walk across the yard should be nothing of importance to the Visored yet he could hardly keep his eyes off of her. While he stared at her, a tightness coiled within his chest, swelling to the point of discomfort. Within seconds, Shinji made a rather disturbing realization that he wanted nothing more than to rush to her and sweep her into his arms. Also, why was he staring at her? Once again he found himself entranced by her. His eyes captured every move, every step and every sway of Juliana's curved hips, but mostly the way the dark hem of her skirt kissed along her fair skinned thighs.

"Damn…" Shinji groaned as he pushed himself from the wall.

He dragged a hand down his face in frustration. There was no way he was going to allow his imagination to entice him. He should just turn around and take to the rooftops again before she noticed him. Shinji could return to the warehouse in time to take his frustrations out in a hard spar with Kensei. Yeah, sparing with that man would set Shinji's mind straight, after the concussion cleared of course.

Too late! Before he knew it, Shinji heard the caress that was Juliana voice.

"Well, look who is here," Juliana chuckled from next to him.

Slowly, Shinji turned and set his eyes on Juliana's warm smile. With all the terms of acknowledgement that floated within his mind, all he could say was, "Hey."

"I wasn't expecting to see you here," she smoothly stated in Japanese that was caressed by her English accent. "Coming here is a long walk from your school, yes?"

Shinji shrugged his thin shoulders as he cast her a teasing grin. "What can I say?" he asked with a wink. He then added, "My mind is a frightening place."

"I can only imagine." Juliana chuckled softly, "What are you doing here? Are you waiting for somebody?"

"You could say that."

There was a tone to his voice in the way he smoothly answered her that teased a shiver down Juliana's spine. He was looking at her with such intensity that she felt her cheeks warming. His eyes were locked on her causing her a flitter of uncomfortableness. There was a strange shadow she saw within his eyes, a shadow that had her taking a step back from him. "Well,' she said with a soft smile upon her lips, 'I need to be going."

Shinji blinked as she began to walk past him. Was he just going to allow her to walk away from him that quickly? He had just found her. Shinji couldn't get his tongue and mouth to form any words as Juliana waved to him before disappearing around the brick wall at the gate.

There she goes, walking away again. Before Shinji's rational thinking caught up to him, which happened often, he was calling as he ran after her, "Juliana! Wait!"

Juliana stopped and turned to look back to him curiously.

"Would you like to get a coffee? My treat." Was that all he could think of to say, asking her to get a coffee with him? How cliché.

Juliana stared at him as if in thought. After a short moment, a smile touched her lips followed by a shy nod. "I would like that. After all, you did walk all the way here so it would be a shame if you went through such trouble for nothing. The café is on my way home."

"_No,'_ he thought to himself as he smiled warmly to her, _'__it's not for nothing." _He said as he motioned towards the gate, "Lead the way."

"**I**do miss my home back in Shrewsbury, my old friends and school." Juliana explained once they were in a conversation focused on her life back in England.

The two were seated in the café and, surprisingly, in the same seats they had sat in at the other day. The conversation flowed easily between the two, often changing from amusing topics with blushes settling upon Juliana's cheeks whenever Shinji opened his flirtatious mouth. She seemed to enjoy it, his subtle flirts, or so he thought. The way her laughter would soften in to shy giggles kept a constant grin upon his lips. The way she lowered her honey colored eyes was captivating, and the way she pressed her lips around the straw of her iced-coffee twisted a sensual yet perverted image within Shinji's rather overactive brain. Shinji found every shy act of hers a delight. He was completely enraptured by her, listening to every word she said and loving the way her accent added an exotic caress to her Japanese. Juliana had poise, etiquette, and charm - points of her character he found very refreshing. She was classy and sophisticated, and Shinji found such traits rather attractive.

It wasn't a surprise to him that after an hour of talking with Juliana that Shinji found himself more relaxed, more so than he had been in a very long time. Shinji felt every muscle in his body soften, or maybe his relaxation was the over use of sugar in his banana chocolate smoothie. The longer they chatted and laughed over random and enjoyable topic the quicker he came to realize that spending time with her was making him feel as if they had sat in these same seats before, sipping coffee and laughing. Being with her felt natural to him.

"It must be hard," he said in comment to her speaking on missing her homeland. "I know what it feels like to be away from people you have known your entire life. I had to leave my home, but the departure was not done on good terms with people I used to know. From what you're telling me, you left your friends on good terms."

"I suppose so, considering the move was for my father's job." Juliana arched a slender brow while looking to him. "I would have thought you have lived your entire life here in Karakura Town."

"Karakura Town is my second home." He shrugged, picking at the half eaten lemon spice scone on a plate before him.

"Oh, I see. Is your family in the military?"

Shinji chuckled and shook his head. "No, nothing like that. Moving has just been the way of my life."

A gentle frown settled upon her lips in response to the disappointed tone to his voice, a sign of discomfort even though he chuckled. "I find it odd that you walked all the way from your school to mine, and, by looking at the time of your arrival, I would guess that you skipped your last class. That's not very academic of you."

Shinji snorted with a roll of his pale eyes.

"How very deviant of you," she said with a little tsk.

He flashed her a cheeky grin, "You don't know how deviant I can be."

Julian chuckled with a blush touching her cheek, and she turned her eyes to the vegan mint brownie she was nibbling upon. "I still do not know your name," she said in random thought.

Shinji blinked his eyes. "Really?"

Juliana nodded.

He gave her a lopsided grin. "My name is Shinji Hirako."

"Shinji." She repeated the name with a soft nod. "I like that name. It sounds intelligent yet playful. My name is rather plain."

"Are you kidding me?" Shaking his head, Shinji smiled to her. "I think your name is eloquent and proper, in a very English sort of way."

A heated blush tore along Juliana's high cheekbones as she tried to hold back a giggle. She cleared her throat with a little cough then looked away as she brushed back a lock of chestnut hair behind a single pierced ear. "Shinji?"

"Hmm?"

"Tell me the truth. Why did you come to my school today?" She glanced to him with a quizzical look, a look accented by a delicately raised brow.

Shinji swallowed a lump that had found itself lodged within his throat. There was a tiny grin playing her lips thus accenting the side glance of narrowed eyes from beneath sets of thick, long lashes that she cast him. The look in her eyes was heated and playful and it sent a shudder down the Visored's spine that made him melt. There was an expression he saw within her eyes that remind him of somebody.

"Well?" Juliana asked, tipping her head as a more playful smile replaced the grin.

Shinji shrugged nonchalantly. "Honestly? I came looking for you."

Juliana didn't seem surprised at all. In fact, she had the look of 'I knew it' shadowing her eyes. "You skipped class and walked all the way to Saint Bridget's just to see me?"

He took a quick glance to her and asked, "Is that so strange?"

"A little, yes. Why would you skip class to come see me? You're going to get in trouble."

"I'm not a very educationally bound individual. Classes bore me, so I decided to leave early today and peruse other extra-curricular activities."

"Really?" She pursed her lips in an amused snicker. "You played hooky to come see me? I'm flattered."

"You should be," he said in play as he tossed another bite of his scone into his mouth then dusted off his hands to get rid of any crumbs that may have stuck to his fingers. "Plus, I have been rather distracted all day. Staying in class would have been pointless."

"I see." She gave a soft chuckle and reached towards his scone with a sneaky grin. "May I? I have always wanted to try this particular scone."

"Then get your own!" Shinji only laughed when he smacked at her hand gently. When she stuck out her tongue and quickly broke off a little corner, he laughed and reached over to snap off a rather large piece of Juliana's brownie. She gaped at him. He just shrugged and said over the large bite, "Turnabout is fair play."

Juliana laughed brightly. "You have no manners, Shinji Hirako!"

"That's not the first time I've been told that." Shinji cast her a wink and she winked back, twice. The double wink took Shinji's laughter right from him. He stared at her as she went back to her coffee and treat. There was something too familiar about that wink, that single action that sent a wave of Déjà vu that struck him like a brick.

He swore that this very moment had happened in the past, not in a coffee shop and not in this city but in a similar way they exchanged teasing gestures and jibes. He couldn't put his finger on the exact point of the sensation, but it sure was nagging at him.

"Shinji?"

He blinked his eyes as if doing a double take. Juliana was looking to him but with a more curious look to her eyes. His sudden silence had not gone unnoticed.

"Are you alright?"

He answered in a breathy exhalation, "Yeah." He then broke the remaining scone in half, offering her one part. "Here."

The action was intimate in its own way. Their eyes locked, passing between the two a steady look that acknowledge that the sense of Déjá vu was not only felt by him but by Juliana as well who was also sensing the familiarity. She took the piece of scone with an innocently shy smile. "Thank you."

Why did all of this seem so familiar? The question kept tumbling about within his mind. He wasn't one to dwell on this or that or this sensation or that thought, but he couldn't shut his mind off from highlighting parts of this point in time.

"So,' her voice chimed, 'tell me about yourself, Shinji."

"What's there to tell?"

"Your hobbies, your interests, your school work, activities, and friends. The usual topics chosen in order to learn more about another individual."

Shinji cast her a playful grin and inquired, "Want a DNA sample?"

Juliana chuckled and rolled her eyes.

"There's nothing much to me. I'm your everyday high school student." - _'who happens to be a spirit being forced to live in this human world.' _The edition to the answer caused him to shrug his shoulders. "I skip classes, cause trouble, and get into as much deviant activity as I can."

"So you're the everyday bad boy." Juliana smirked as she let one slender leg of hers slip over the other to cross, and in perfect view of Shinji's keen attention.

Shinji groaned inwardly as his eyes went right to the exposed inches of her skin between the hem of her skirt and the start of the counter top. He took the few seconds to watch how the slender muscles of her leg shifted beneath smooth, fair skin. "I guess." He had to force those words from his mouth; otherwise, he would stutter like an idiot.

"My mum always said I had a thing for the bad boys."

She was teasing him now as she cast him a crafty look, a devious look - a look he liked. Shinji was caught watching the way her lips wrapped about her straw when she took a sip. There formed that lump again in his throat, swelling in to a tennis ball.

Sadly, the afternoon came to an end with one look to her watch. Juliana's honey kissed eyes went wide as she let out a squeak. "Oh, no!" she yelped as she began to gather her belongings.

"What's wrong?" he inquired.

"I didn't realize how the time had gotten away from me. My mum's going to worry if I don't get back in time for supper." She stopped in her hurried motion to look to him. Was he pouting? "I'm sorry, but I must go. Thank you, Shinji, for inviting me out. It was a really nice treat."

Just when he was enjoying himself. Shinji sighed but offered a half smile and a nod. "It's not a problem. I understand. In fact, I need to be heading home too. If I end up late again, there's going to be pain and suffering, my pain and suffering." The frightening thought that Hiyori would harm him greatly for being late, again, caused a shudder of ice to drag down his spine.

Juliana chuckled as she saw the evidence of that shudder. His body shook for a moment as his features twisted as if some horrific memory was replaying within his mind. She smiled then did something that not only felt natural to them both yet, at the same time, came as a complete surprise. The action was a delicate act that completely floored Shinji. A kiss, a soft and caste kiss, was touched upon his right cheek. The kiss was one of innocence that meant nothing more than a heartfelt thank you. Juliana drew back first with her lips parting ever so slightly. Their eyes locked, and Shinji's chest tightened.

Then he grinned. "What about tomorrow?"

Juliana paused in her action of placing her backpack about her shoulders. She looked to him curiously. "Tomorrow?"

"Coffee again?" Shinji leaned his cheek to his palm, a position that was becoming the norm for him, and waggled his thin brows suggestively.

She mused, "I'm not sure…"

Before he could stop himself, Shinji reached his other hand forwards as his body straightened in his seat. His fingertips, fingertips that so many times had driven his Zanpakutou to kill, were as gentle as any lover's as he touched her cheek. He saw her honey colored eyes darken to an almost amber color, luscious and thick. He also felt her body shiver delicately beneath his touch.

He whispered as he trailed his fingers along her jaw, "The answer is simple. Say yes."

Juliana felt her lips press thin and her throat tighten. Thinking of a reply was nearly impossible with his touch skimming along her cheek. She was about to decline his offer, thinking that meeting him again was moving them in a direction that was improper for two people who had just met too fast, but what direction could that be? She couldn't deny that she felt a wonderful and warm attraction to him dancing around within the pit of her stomach. If he would refrain from touching her like this, departing would be much easier with a flirtatious smile. So what was wrong? Why couldn't she walk away? The answer was simple - she had kissed his cheek. What had gotten into her? He was a complete stranger to her yet she felt drawn to him on a level that was unusual.

After a thoughtful moment, which seemed to have drawn itself out, Juliana nodded to him in agreement. "Alright."

Shinji grinned and finally drew his touch from her. "Great. Same time?"

"Planning to skip class again?" She asked.

"If it means getting to spend time with you, yeah."

She shook her head, casting him one last look. "I'll be waiting at the gate."

Once again Shinji was left sitting in his seat with nothing better to do than watch Juliana walk away. Shinji smiled to himself as he raised his coffee cup to his lips. She was waving to him from across the street so he offered her a wave in return, then she disappeared into the passing crowd. When he could no longer see her, Shinji finished off his coffee then began the trek back to the warehouse. He was in no rush. He wanted to keep the memory of her kiss, which he still felt upon his cheek, before Hiyori's infliction of pain would replace the delicate tingle from Juliana's lips.

As he walked down the streets of Karakura Town, Shinji glanced up to the cloudless sky in a moment of reflection.

_'__Thank you, Saint Bridget…'_

28


	2. Memories

Honey Eyes A Bleach Fanfiction S. Lazic

Memories

It wasn't as if Shinji was really afraid of returning to the old warehouse. The man held no true fear, not of a Hallow or of Ichigo, not even Old Man Yama. So why was he hesitating, sneaking from shadow to shadow and peeking around every corner as if sniffing the air? Hiyori. That's why. That little witch could put the fear in him like no other. He feared the pain he was going to experience upon returning late once again. The bleeding his ears would go through in the name of torture the moment Hiyori got wind of his scent ran terror through his thin veins. She was like a dog on a three legged cat whose neck was bleeding, been hit by a car, and had a bull's eye on its ass! The girl was unbelievable! Just the thought of coming face to face with her made his blood run cold.

The old metal doors of the warehouse structure groaned in a scratching of rusted metal as they were guided open, inch by grating inch. Then came Shinji's slender eyes, narrowed and cautious, as he looked quickly through the parting of the doors. The warehouse seemed to be vacant as far as he could tell with only a few of the dim lights streaming their faint light down from the metal rafters. So far…so good.

Once again the doors groaned as he pushed them wider till his thin, narrow body could slip easily inwards. He stopped right in his tracks as a prickling sensation of warning ran across his flesh. Something wasn't right. By now he should be laid out flat on the cold floor and in severe discomfort, yet by some unknown saving grace of whatever Gods still had an ounce of kindness towards him, he was still standing. His pale eyes narrowed even more as he pulled the doors closed behind him with a loud clank as if trying to draw out Hiyori from the pits of her hiding place.

Silence.

No attack came down upon him. Nothing ever came. His pale, slender eyes shifted to scan the empty void before him. With his hands stuffed into his pants' pockets, the Visored began his cautious trek into the depths of the warehouse, his steps echoing against the cement floor and sheet-metal walls.

_'She's around here somewhere, the she-beast,'_ Shinji muttered within his thoughts. He kept his attention on the shadows as he turned about, looking from the rafters to the corners to the…

"Boy, are you going to be grounded." Love Aikawa snickered from over his newly purchased manga. "It's way past your curfew."

Shinji's steps halted. When did Love get here? And how the hell did Shinji miss him sitting upon the distant couch? Shinji rolled his eyes as he glanced to his afro sporting comrade.

"Shut up," he muttered then groaned as he flopped down to a chair, stretching his trim arms up and over his head. He laid his head against the back of the chair with fingers lacing at his neck. "For your information, my mommy allows me to stay up till midnight." He stuck his pierced tongue outwards with a 'ppth' sound.

"Hiyori's been looking for you all day."

The new voice drew Shinji's eyes to peek out from beneath the rim of his cap to see Rojuro strolling up to join them. He cast Shinji a sly grin and a curt wave before taking a seat next to Love on the couch. Shinji just shrugged, regarding the frilly looking Visored with a bored expression. He scoffed, "I feel loved."

The two other men cast an amused look to each other before one rolled his eyes and the other shook his head. "Sometimes I wonder if you've taken one too many slippers to the face, Shinji," chuckled Rojuro rather daintily.

"Where is the sea-hag anyway?" he asked through a yawn.

The other Visoreds shrugged their shoulders, but it was Love who answered. "I think she's on a girls' night out with Mashiro and Lisa."

"She waited as long as she could for you to get back, but the other two pulled her on out."

"Yeah,' breathed Love with a smirk, 'she bitched and moaned for a few hours, the usual threats to castrate you, then gave up. The three had been planning their little outing for a few weeks now so they didn't want to wait for your Cinderella ass to come home."

"What can I say,' chuckled Shinji, taking in the Heavenly news that all three girls were out, 'my pumpkin broke down." He then glanced to the glowing digital clock off in the distance. "When will they be back?"

"They will not be back for a few hours, at least."

"That's a damn shame." Shinji cast his fellow Visoreds a smug grin. "What will we do without our chaperones?"

"Enjoy the privacy?" Love chuckled, turning another page.

Shinji sniffed. "Meaning, you're just going to sit on your ass and continue reading your Manga, right?"

"Damn right."

"You know that Mihoki ends up with Shouji in the end and that it was Kioraku who shot Mihoki's little sister, right?" Rojuro stated calmly towards Love.

"Damn!"

A few hours, a couple of beers, and some rude jokes later, Shinji made sure that he was secured in the safety that was his private room, which happened to be located far in the depths of the abandoned building, before the girls came wandering back home. Kensei had returned from his 'I train by myself because I'm better than you' training run not long after Rojuro, once again, ruined Love's evening of manga reading. Half an hour later, Hachigen walked into the warehouse with bags of takeout. The food was decent enough, but what Shinji was looking forwards to the most was taking a hot shower and crawling himself into bed. He felt completely and utterly exhausted even though he hadn't done a damn thing to physically strain himself, well…besides that quick dash across town, but that had been hours ago and the stop at the café had rejuvenated him.

The hot shower did him well, soothing his seemingly tired body. By the time he stepped out of the steam, dried himself off, and slipped on a pair of black cotton bottoms, he was ready for a good night's sleep. The crisp, cool sheets of his bed felt wonderful as he slipped into their embrace. Shinji sighed deeply, rolling to his back with his eyes locking to the ceiling.

In the emptiness and the loneliness of his room, with quietude caressing his senses, Shinji fell into his circling thoughts and heavy feelings. While he lay in his stillness, he began to feel the heavy weight of 'not being right'. He felt as if something, or somebody, was missing. Turning his head, he looked to the empty space in his large bed and realized that what he was 'missing' was somebody. Juliana. He just didn't feel right being away from her.

She and her honey colored eyes would not leave his thoughts. When he closed his eyes, he saw her. When he was surrounded by silence, he heard her. She was a curse! Shinji sighed, his lips forming a faint but warm smile. If she was a curse, she was his curse and that was perfectly fine with him.

"What have you done to me?" he asked to the emptiness.

He didn't get an answer from the silence about him. Minutes clicked on by, drawing out the evening hours. Before he knew it, he was fast asleep.

Dreams. They assaulted his slumber…

"_Captain Hirako."_

_Shinji stirred with an annoyed groan upon hearing a sweet voice calling to him, pulling him from his daydream._

"_Captain Hirako!" _

_This time, when his name was spoken, there was a hint of annoyance carried upon the lovely voice. Mumbling soft curses, the 5th division Captain drew his arm away from over his eyes. The sky was so beautiful, clear of any clouds, and there was a faint breeze drifting down and over the rolling hills caring upon it the softest scent of some blooming flower. And there she was. She was like a dream to him, a beautiful dream that Captain Shinji Hirako loved to wake up to. _

_He watched her stepping towards him, the breeze playing with her long braid of sun touched chestnut teased with hints of red streaming throughout the twisted locks. He loved how the rays of the sun kissed her fair flesh._

"_Kazumi,' he mewed softly and without moving from his restful position upon the soft grassy knoll, 'my harmonious beauty, what pleasure do I owe your visit?"_

_The younger Soul Reaper, 7th seat in squad 1, rolled her eyes as the Captain spoke to her so intimately, even going as far as to use the meaning of her name, which he happened to use as a pet name for her. He always found some way to tease her be it by a seductive look or a playful touch marked by his trade mark sassy grin and wink. She never fell for them, or so she told herself. _

_When out in the open there were rules that she and Captain Hirako had to play by. The fraternizing, on any level, involving a lower seat member of any squad with any Captain was highly forbidden. Come as it may, Shinji Hirako had tossed aside those rules when participating in his flirtatious play with the 7__th__ seat._

"_The Head Captain is requesting your presence right away, Sir," Kazumi replied as politely as she could._

_Shinji's nose crinkled as his face screwed up. Yamamoto wanted to see him? Again? This was the fourth time in two days. How much more of the old bastard could he take? Slowly, he sat up with his lean fingers skimming through his long blond hair only to catch upon the ends. He cursed while tugging with a disgruntled curl of his lips till he yanked his fingers free, along with a good amount of hair. Great. Just great. He cast the young woman a flat look as he shook away the torn strands and asked, "What's he want?__"_

_Kazumi shrugged her delicate shoulders, and Shinji followed the movement as if his life depended upon it, even down to the way she flicked a hand against her long braid. She was annoyed, and he loved it only because he caused it. "Sir,' she said with a groaning sigh, 'I don't ask my Captain questions about the orders he gives me. I only obey them and carry them out to the fullest of my abilities."_

"_Ah, my sweet Kazumi,' Shinji grinned wickedly to her as he stood, 'so blind you are."_

"_Blind?" she asked with a touch of confusion over his comment. She tipped her chin with the tip of her adorable nose raised.  
"Loyal is more like it."_

"_Eh." He gave an indifferent shrug to her words as he dusted his hands against the backside of his Haori - dare the white fabric be lined with grass stains in an area unbecoming of a Captain. _

"_Sir, it is not my place to question your reasoning," Kazumi began to say, shaking her head yet those words of hers stopped when she saw white fabric flap out before her view. Her breath caught when feeling the gentle touch of thin yet deadly fingers trailing along her neck, a touch that had her shivering. Drawing in a quick breath, she lifted her eyes following the lines of Captain Hirako's body guided by his fingers lifting her chin. _

_Their eyes locked._

"_Then don't," he whispered warmly as he brought her lips to his, they were too inviting to ignore any longer. _

_The way her lips parted in her soft, little breaths or the way her lips slowly pulled apart when she began to speak was too damn inviting. "I've missed you," he said against her lips as they molded so perfectly to his. Feeling her slender body shudder, Shinji slipped an arm about her petite frame, drawing her against his thickly clad body. It'd been too long since he had felt the warmth of her against his._

_Kazumi pressed her palms flat against Shinji's chest, curling fingers in the dark fabric beneath the Captain's Haori. Her eyes fluttered closed, dusting her cheeks with light lashes the moment the Captain kissed her. She could not deny that she too had missed him. Days had gone by, nearly two weeks, since the two were able to find any time to themselves. So when her Captain ordered her to hunt down Squad 5's Captain, she readily agreed…at least without the outward showing of excitement that instantly pooled within her stomach._

_Though Captain Hirako fought the urge to lay her upon the soft grass beneath him and spend the rest of the cool afternoon tasting her lips over and over again, he dare not anger the Head Captain, or worse - risk getting caught in their affair. It was a known fact that the old man watched over Kazumi as if she were his own daughter. There was no doubt that he had some sort of tracking device lodged somewhere in her clothing. _

_And on that thought, Shinji made a mental note to enjoy removing the troublesome clothing just so he could look for the device. But alas, all good things must come to an end if one wanted to keep on living. So sadly he ended the kiss with a resound sigh. He brought his hands up to cup her cheeks; his fingers played along the curves of her jaw. _

_There were no words to be said between the two secret lovers. Shinji rested his forehead against hers as he breathed out a comfortable breath as he felt Kazumi relax and lean into him. Captain Yamamoto-Genryusai could wait a little bit longer. This moment was perfect, a moment not to be disturbed for any reason. To live in the moment, that is what Kazumi told Shinji almost every day. To regret nothing, and he never did when it came to their relationship. _

"_We must return." _

_Shinji's thin lips turned down in a scowl. He didn't want to hear the truth in her words, but she was right. With a disgruntled groan, he slipped his arms from about her, taking the time for his touch to enjoy one last trail over her clothes. When he opened his eyes and drew back, Kazumi was looking to him - smiling to him. "If we must," he drawled softly while idly tucking back a lock of her chestnut hair behind one of her simply pierced ears, a topaz stone encased in pewter. Simple but beautiful, that was Kazumi Hirowari-Hakagoji. _

_Her eyes danced with mirth, accented with a delicate but amused chuckle. "Yes, we must." Kazumi closed her eyes as she placed a hand over one of his own to softly nuzzle his palm._

_Shinji let his fingertips curl into the soft flesh of her cheek. One last kiss fell upon her sweet lips before he looked into her eyes, those beautiful honey touched eyes, one last time. "Have I mentioned lately how much I dislike the Head Captain?"_

"_All the time, my love, all the time."_

Saint Bridget's bells tolled in a soft, musical chime across the school yard. The cloudy afternoon was coming to a close when the massive wooden doors of the school's main building opened with a loud clank. The old school spilled forth its contents of overly excited school girls. It was the weekend! Freedom rang from the calls of the students.

Shinji had arrived early only because he had skipped school that entire day. Why just miss one class when he could just skip the whole day? He had woken late that morning, unable to pull himself from the warmth that was not only his bed but the dream he had enjoyed that night. Even after four cups of coffee, Shinji still could not get himself operating by the time noon rolled around. Hiyori's curses, which were unbecoming of a lady, bounced right off him as he had stared at his untouched breakfast. Her threats of inflicting bodily harmed had rolled right off him. After that dream, that lovely dream, Shinji couldn't focus on anything let alone her insane bitching. Hiyori had not even finished her morning complaints when he shoved a hand against her face, pushed her away then walked out of the building. He was in no mood to mess about with her complaints. So he spent the day wandering Karakura town till Juliana's classes ended.

He waited patiently for her beneath a shade tree where he leaned casually against the wall.

"Shinji!"

And there it was, the one voice he had been listening for amongst the river of other high pitched and annoying voices. He smirked and pushed away from the wall to slowly twist his body till he came to face her. "Hey there," he drawled out lazily. "How was your day?"

Juliana shrugged her shoulders as she stepped up next to him.  
"Not bad, I guess. Though the day seemed to drag on rather slowly."

"Tell me about it," muttered Shinji with a roll of his eyes.

Juliana smiled softly to him then blinked as she realized that he was not wearing his cap this day. Come to think of it, when had she ever seen him without his cap? With a chuckle, she lifted a hand and flicked at a strand from his blond bangs. She was rewarded with a cross-eyed look from him. "I've never seen you without your cap," said Kazumi in playful remark.

Shinji sniffed. "Is that a problem?"

"No,' she replied with a shake of her head yet still smiling, 'I like you without the cap. This way, I can see your eyes. I like your eyes."

Shinji glanced to the side yet at the same time stuck his tongue out, giving a flash of the silver hoop piercing. Juliana laughed brightly and that laugh brought him to look curiously upon her. "What's so funny?" he inquired.

"Your tongue is pierced. I didn't noticed that till right now." Kazumi leaned forwards as if to have a closer view.

Shinji's eyes went wide as he feigned a gasp then stuck his tongue back out and tried to look down to it, crossing his eyes. He exclaimed with a gasp, "Well, I'll be damned! When did that happen?"

Juliana laughed brightly, and Shinji smirked as he watched the way her features brightened behind her laugh. "You are too much," she said softly then slipped an arm through his. "Now,' she mewed while casting him a seductive glance, 'I believe it is my turn to treat you to coffee, yes?"

Something in the way she looked at him had a full blown body tremble tearing through Shinji. But…oh…did it feel good. Shinji felt his stomach twist with a tight knot when her slender frame pressed against his side. Juliana curled to him with such familiarity as the two began to make their way out of the school yard and down the street. Shinji knew that there was something more to Juliana Stanford, something that kept evading him. Sooner or later he would discover what this 'something' was that kept vexing him. He seemed to have more questions than answers floating about within his head the more time he spent with her. Though he knew that the nagging he felt deep within his subconscious wasn't exactly a bad thing, it wasn't a good thing either.

The two had made light conversations on anything and everything that came to their minds while they laughed and teased one another. Juliana would blush and Shinji would grin when their flirtatious comments tickled her adorable awkwardness. Their innocent flirting became a game between the two, a friendly and delightful game. Every so often Shinji would state such a brash comment, or compliment, that Juliana would gasp, blush, and swat his shoulder while telling him to hush!

"Is this going to be a habit, Shinji?" Juliana asked cheerfully as they walked on towards the coffee shop unaware of his internal turmoil.

"What do you mean?" he asked with his slender eyes glancing the few inches down to her.

"Going for coffee every day," she clarified, smiling as she looked up to meet his gaze. "It's a long walk for you, going to my school to meet me and then walk over here for coffee. You won't get home in time to get any school work done."

Shinji snorted. "That might be true, if I did any of my work to begin with." The flat, patronizing look from her brought Shinji to flash his trademark grin. "Bad boy, remember? Besides,' he added with a shrug, 'the coffee shop is half way back to my place from your school. It's not that difficult of a walk when it's for a good cause."

There went her cheeks again! Juliana felt her flesh go warm and red. "And what, pray tell, is that cause?"

"You."

"Shinji!" she laughed, nudging his thin hip that drew a barking laugh from him.

What happened next happened too fast.

The two had been in the middle of a laugh when Juliana's eyes went wide and she found herself frozen in place. Her body jerked violently a few times as her lips parted in a silent cry of utter panic! Shinji felt it too, intense Spiritual Pressure. He acted quickly, moving into fluid motion to catch her buckling body within his arms before she fell to the pavement. To Shinji Hirako the sensation had little effect, he was a Visored and an ex-captain after all, but to Juliana the feeling must had been immense, bearing down upon her to the point where her soul quaked.

Shinji didn't have time to ask himself how Juliana had not only felt the sudden come on of spiritual pressure but had also reacted to it. The only way she could have sensed it and reacted to it in kind was to be spiritually aware herself!

She began to shake in his arms, trembling so badly that he had to tighten his arms about her in order to hold her safely against him. Sweat had broken out across her brow, sticking a few strands of chestnut strands to her temples. Her skin had gone cold.

"Don't worry,' he whispered, trying his best to sooth her with not only his voice but by gentle strokes along her brow, 'I've got you. You're safe."

Shinji was too concerned, too attentive to soothing the panic that Juliana must have been feeling, that he didn't realize that the Spiritual Pressure was coming closer to them and from a creature born of pure evil. When her honey touched eyes opened, filled with complete and unimaginable fear and glancing over his shoulder, Shinji knew the source of the disturbance was there. He slowly, methodically turned his head with his eyes narrowing to dangerous and murderous slits and his lips pulled back with a cruel almost sadistic snarl as he gathered Juliana's quivering body against his chest, holding her protectively within his arms.

"Hallow…" he hissed, his voice dripping with rage.

Hallow.

Shinji's lips curled in to a snarl of wrath. The Hallow had done this to Juliana, turned her into a frightened and quivering doll frozen in terror. The creature was huge! Four limbs of muscle and sickly green flesh resembling dried, shriveled up leather stretched out from its 'human' like torso. The rest of its body, long and slender, resembled that of some reptile complete with black oozing scales and a tail tipped with protruding spikes. Four hands ended in talons instead of fingers, all sharpened in to at least three feet of blades and all curling and scraping against themselves. Shinji's stomach twisted in sickness when his eyes looked up to the Hallow's mask of white bone forming long over its head and down over its horse-like facial structure. Horns stuck out from the top, curling like a demon's, and spikes protruded outward, going down both sides of its cheeks from thickest to smallest but all very much deadly. Its eye sockets were sunken in leaving little for the Visored to see but a faint yellowish glow.

This 'thing' had once been a human soul.

Shinji's lips flattened when the creature parted its jowls, letting slide out its slithery forked tongue that dripped with thick saliva. "That's just disgusting…" That was it. Shinji wasn't going to eat for a month!

As a Soul Reaper, he had seen some twisted Hallows over his long life, but this one took the damn cake of nightmares.

The softest whimper, laced with fear, touched Shinji's ears and drew his attention down to the young woman he held within his arms. Juliana's face had paled even more as she pressed her upper body as tightly as she could against his thin chest. Instinctively, he bent his form over hers to shield her from the Hallow's attention. He couldn't just sit here and do nothing. He had to dispatch the Hallow if for no other reason than to protect her. But what the hell was he supposed to do, leave her on the sidewalk unprotected as he pranced off to battle the Hallow? He had a duty to protect Juliana. If possible, he could leave her here and draw the Hallow's attention further away where she could avoid being caught in the cross-fire of the battle.

The creature, no - the monster, threw back its head and stretched its four arms out with muscles flexing under its impossible strength as it released the tall-tailed sound that gave the being its name. The sound was indescribable, a cry mixed with a soul curdling howl that no living creature could create. Shinji knew that howl all too well, and to him it was the call of ecstasy as the Hallow prepared itself for the pleasures of carnage. It was backwards though, a howl created upon the prospects of pleasure should only come after the act was complete and only in the purest form that was the idea of excitement…not like this! In fact, the Visored remembered releasing such a sound as wave after wave of his own pleasure tore from his body during his own sexual delights shared with the one woman who would forever hold his soul.

"Shin…ji…"

Shinji tore his gaze from the Hallow upon hearing the trembling whisper that was his name. Juliana now had an impossible grip on his shirt with her fingers curled so tightly that her knuckles were turning white. She was looking not at him but directly towards the Hallow. She saw it! Shinji could see frightening recognition behind those honey eyes. No, he wouldn't let her see such a nightmare as this, so he quickly slid fingers into her chestnut hair and pressed her face into the crook of his neck and shoulder. "Don't look,' he hissed in a harsh yet gentle command, 'don't you dare look."

Now Shinji was pissed off. He was enjoying his time with Juliana till this beast reared its ugly head. He wanted his damn coffee, and he wanted to see the way Juliana's cheeks began to tickle with pink when he made a cheeky comment. All he wanted was to have another pleasant afternoon at the coffee shop with her. Was that too much to ask?

Alright, Shinji was more than just pissed off - he was seeing red, the color of rage. An enraged Visored, ex-Captain of the Thirteen Court Guards was a very…very bad thing. A decision had to be made, and it had to be made quickly as the Hallow tipped its masked face as if catching eye and scent of the Visored and the trembling piece of mortal flesh held within Shinji's arms. It was obvious that the Hallow was more interested in Juliana than Shinji as its glowing beady eyes locked onto her, its tongue lulling forth to lap at its jowls. Dining on Shinji would mean power, yet feasting on Juliana would be a banquet of purity.

"Back off, freak face,' Shinji snarled, his right hand flexing, 'you've already made me miss my coffee date with this young lady, and that has me really pissed me off. I warn you, if you make me put her down, you're going to be in a shit load of trouble."

Shinji's inner-hallow cackled with laughable delight to the scene playing out before its eyes, for it knew that soon it would be play time. Shinji would be forced to act. There was a good chance that the Hallow would be destroyed before a drop of its spit landed anywhere near Juliana. If that were true, then why wasn't he giving into his powers and proceeding to rip the creature's innards out?

The Hallow would not afford wasting the opportunity to feed upon tantalizing mortal meal, so the thing gave another bellowed cry before it raised a set of knife-like talons high into the air. Its lower body coiled with pure power, all muscle and strength, gathering its energy that it used to spring forwards in attack. It lunged onward taking three massive steps before leaping into the air, poised to slash down upon its victims.

"Shit," Shinji snarled to the explosion of Spiritual Pressure released from the Hallow. Julian gave a started yelp before her head rolled against his chest. She had fallen unconscious from the intensity of the being. Shinji made two quick moves on reflexive though. One was using his left hand to cover her face, shielding her from the oncoming attack. He also didn't want her to see his second move. With a cold and heartless smile, Shinji's right hand slid up along his face, curled fingers into his blond hair then began to move back down, dragging with it the giddy cackling of his inner-hallow.

Something suddenly caught his attention off to the right. Fast motion darted down from atop the rooftop of a nearby building. Soul Reaper! He could feel the oncoming Spiritual Pressure. Shinji froze as the Soul Reaper appeared right above the Hallow with blade ready to drive forth. There was no mistaking this particular Soul Reaper considering the man's orange hair and the massive Zanpakutou glistening in the afternoon sun. "Ichigo," Shinji breathed out then called louder, "Ichigo!"

Ichigo Kurosaki flashed a sarcastic grin as he swung Zangetsu over his head, cutting through the air with a metallic hissing kiss. The Hallow gave a startled cry as it turned its attention to the oncoming attack. "Die!" the soul-reaper bellowed as he brought his Zanpakutou barreling down upon the Hallow's upturned face. A direct and deadly blow was delivered. Zangetsu hit true, and with a ring of metal on bone, the creature's mask cracked right in half. There came a blood curdling cry of utter rage as the mask dissipated followed by the dissolution of the Hallow's twisted form.

It was over. It was all over.

Shinji sighed in relief, and with that sigh he realized how tightly he had been holding Juliana against him, nearly squishing her. Ichigo's form weaved into existence a moment later and next to where the Visored was knelt upon the ground. "What took you so long?" Shinji muttered in simmering annoyance. He should honestly be grateful for Ichigo's appearance, though he would never admit such.

Speaking of Ichigo, he curled his lips back in a sarcastic sneer. His eyes narrowed as his right temple twitched. "Is that all the thanks I get for saving your sorry ass?"

Shinji narrowed his eyes to the temporary Soul Reaper. "Take it or leave it."

"Why didn't you take care of that thing? You're right here and all you did was park your ass on the sidewalk to watch the show?" Ichigo grunted while crossing his arms to his chest. "Sorry to say, but you're the worse excuse for a teacher that I've ever known."

Shinji glared daggers into Ichigo's hide and gave a low, threatening growl. "I had something of more importance to see to."

"More important?" asked Ichigo with a brow kicking up in curiosity. "What could be more important than taking out a Hallow?"

Shinji frowned, his gaze turning soft as he looked away from the disappointment dancing within Ichigo's eyes. He didn't have to answer to a Soul Reaper, let alone a temporary one. So why was he feeling guilty all of a sudden? Wasn't Juliana's safety a priority? He could have taken down the Hallow. He could not have taken the risk of leaving her.

"Are you going to answer me or avoid me like you have been the last week?" barked Ichigo in accusation.

"Her," Shinji answered flatly.

"Her?" Ichigo arched a brow as his youthful features twisted in a thorough look of confusion. "What do you mean by her?" He began to look about, fingers scratching in his hair. "I don't see any…her…"

"Here, you idiot," muttered Shinji as he drew away his arms to show the young woman coiled against him.

"Oh…her…" The temporary Soul Reaper exhaled a whistle as he noticed the unconscious girl lying limply in Shinji's arms. "What's wrong with her?" he asked, stepping forwards to kneel next to the two. "Did she get hurt?"

Shinji's eyes softened as he glanced down to Juliana, and his thin lips pulled in to a scowl. She looked so peaceful, so serene pressed against his shoulder. "No,' he replied softly as he gently brushed away a lock of her hair that had fallen across her damp brow, 'she's alright. She felt that Hallow's Spiritual Pressure and fainted. She saw the damn thing too."

"She saw it? She's not a Soul Reaper, is she?"

"Don't be stupid," grumbled Shinji with a roll of his eyes. He leveled a flat and annoyed look to Ichigo. "Does she look like a Soul Reaper to you?"

"Well, not really," replied Ichigo, rubbing a hand against his head.

"She's not. Her name is Juliana Stanford. I met her a few days ago at a coffee shop on my way back from school."

"Juliana Stanford? That's an interesting name. She's not from around here is she?"

For the love of…

Shinji sighed and shook his head. "You're smarter than I thought you were, Ichigo. She's English. Her family moved here when her father's job brought him to town. She goes to Saint Bridget's, a private University for international transfer students, all girls."

"Never heard of the place."

"Look,' Shinji grumbled as he gathered the unconscious girl into his arms, 'let's get out of here before we draw attention."

"There's a park not too far from here," Ichigo said, pointing back over his shoulder.

Only a nod was given in agreement before the two weaved from sight and vanished.

Minutes later - Ichigo Kurosaki was standing before the Visored and the unconscious girl. The two had 'reappeared' within the depths of a park far removed from the view of any wandering eye. Shinji had gently laid the young woman on the top of an old picnic table then sat down next to her upon the edge of the tabletop. There was something about the way Shinji was acting towards the girl that perked Ichigo's interest. There was a gentleness that he observed in Shinji's touch, the way he looked at her, and the way he softly spoke her name. Did Shinji know this girl personally?

Suddenly the curious clouds dissipated in Ichigo's head, clearing his mind on what he was seeing. He grinned and took a step forwards as he swung Zangetsu to rest upon his shoulder. So, this is girl had been the object distracting Shinji's attention over the last few days. Shinji had a girlfriend, even if she was rather young for the spirit being.

Shinji had not wanted Juliana to awaken to people upon the street gawking at her. The park was quiet and would give them the solitude that he wanted. He hoped that she wouldn't remember seeing the Hallow once she woke. After all, mortals didn't do very well once they had witnessed such an evil creature. Their souls couldn't take the shock.

"This isn't the way I wanted this day to go," Shinji muttered under his breath to no one but himself.

"Huh? What do you mean?" Ichigo's voice had lost its sarcastic tone as he watched the displays of affection between the Visored and the human. Every little touch from Shinji was as gentle as possible, and filled with worry.

Shinji frowned but didn't look back to Ichigo. "We were walking to the coffee shop just up the street after her classes got out. It's become a bit of a tradition since we met," he said as he continued to stroke fingertips along Juliana's brow. "I wasn't expecting a Hallow to appear."

"Hallow's appear anywhere they damn well please and for whatever reason. Why do you think it showed up here?"

Shinji shrugged. "I don't know, Ichigo." He sighed heavily then sat back. He went on to say, "It looked right at her. It didn't want me. It wanted her."

"Why would it want her? You're a much better snack in ways of gaining power than a mortal girl."

"Hell if I know."

Ichigo shook his head. Why would a Hallow pass up the chance to digest Shinji's power for a simple girl like her? "Tell me something, Shinji."

"What?"

Ichigo moved to stand next to his teacher. He looked down to the girl with a touch of empathy to his gaze. "Who is she to you?"

Shinji didn't reply.

"She's the reason you've been off your game, isn't she? When I was training with Kensei the other day, I overheard Hiyori and the others moaning about you being distant and detached from your responsibilities. I didn't really take notice till you started cutting out our training."

"It's none of yours or anybody else's business, Ichigo. So drop it, alright?"

"Drop it?" Ichigo took a threatening step to his supposed teacher. "This is my training we're talking about, or did you forget that Aizen's just waiting to knock on our door with his army of blood thirsty Arrancars?"

Shinji was on him before Ichigo could blink an eye. Before Ichigo could react, Shinji had a hand about his throat, squeezing ever so slowly. Only when his eyes began to burn and his vision haze did Shinji release his grip, but he didn't let Ichigo go.

Shinji leaned closer, his lips thinning and curling with a predatory snarl. "Let's get one thing clear, Soul Reaper. You don't get to play twenty questions with me. Got it? You don't need to know what I am doing or why I am doing what it is I am doing. And you certainly don't need to know who this girl is. Do I make myself clear?"

Ichigo gave a nod; Shinji released his grip. He stood, backing away. "For your information, I haven't forgotten about Sosuke Aizen. He's still at the top of my ass kicking list."

Ichigo pushed himself to stand, rubbing a hand to his sore throat. "What the hell is wrong with you?"

"You wouldn't understand," said the Visored in a voice that was almost a somber whisper. He went back to Juliana's side where he sat down and reached forwards to brush fingers against her cheek. She was cold.

"Then tell me so I can understand!" snapped Ichigo, unsure if he should be mad or sympathetic. He hated when people avoided him.

"I wish I could." Shinji sighed with a slow shake of his head. "I can't explain what's going on, not even to myself. All I know is that back there,' he flicked a hand in the direction of the street, 'I didn't care about anybody else but her. The moment you showed up I was about to draw down my mask and rip the skin off that Hallow."

Shinji went on to say, "In all my life I've never questioned the want to battle a Hallow, never even paused to think twice, but I couldn't risk Juliana getting hurt."

"So that's what all this is about, your want to protect this girl?" Ichigo scoffed, adding, "And you said I wouldn't understand. What the hell do you think I was going through every minute I spent in the Seireitei when I went there with my friends to save Rukia? I worried about my friends constantly, worrying if they were alive or if they had died."

Shinji sighed.

Ichigo went on to say, "We all want to protect the ones we care about, Shinji. You of all people should know that to protect them we have to let them go so we can fight what is threatening them!" Ichigo shook his head, dragging a hand through his hair. "Besides, she wouldn't have gotten hurt. You could've handled that Hallow with one hand."

Shinji snorted, and his lips turned down to a scowl. "You sound just like Kisuke…all philosophical."

A gentle moan drew the attention of Ichigo and Shinji to Juliana. She stirred, shifting her head to the side with her lips parting to release another little moan of discomfort. She was finally coming to. Shinji blew out a sigh of relief.

"Looks like your Snow White's waking up, Shinji." Ichigo clapped the Visored on the shoulder.

The clap snapped Shinji's attention and he quickly glanced over his shoulder in time to see Ichigo walking away. "Ichigo!" he called, stopping him.

Ichigo looked back. "Yeah?"

"Thanks."

Smiling, Ichigo waved then turned away once again. "I expect to see you at the warehouse tomorrow for our training. It's been a while since I've kicked your ass. You're getting lazy, old man. Besides, you have something of greater importance to take of right now. Take care."

Shinji smirked then shook his head. Since when had Ichigo ever kicked his ass? Oh well, one day of letting the kid have a swollen ego wouldn't hurt. Would it? "Tomorrow then." When Ichigo's form disappeared, Shinji turned his attention back to Juliana. It was just as Ichigo had said - there was something of greater importance to see to, and that 'something' was currently waking up.

Obviously, Shinji had not realized how unsettling the entire situation had been. He had not noticed till now that his hands were shaking. Why? He had handled the ability of protecting somebody and fighting before, never had a problem with it. So why had he delayed his attack upon the Hallow? For the first time in his entire career of killing Hallows, Shinji didn't have an answer to his own question.

"Where am I?"

The question was asked through the softest of murmurs. Juliana groaned as a wave of dizziness washed over her, twisting a knot of sickness in the pit of her stomach. A paleness had taken her honey touched eyes that tightened shut when the sensation of vertigo slapped her cold. After a second or two of gathering herself, she opened her eyes, blinking a few times, then looked to see Shinji. He looked pale, spooked.

"Shinji?"

"Hey there," he said in a soft breath. A weaving smile took his lips as he leaned closer, reaching out to cup her face in a thin hand. She felt clammy, cold and hot all at the same time. "How ya feeling?"

Juliana licked her dry lips then made an attempt to sit up. However, the moment she arched her back she moaned to a slap of sickness. She hung her head and replied tightly, "I feel nauseas and dizzy, like I have vertigo. What happened to me?"

Dizziness and nausea were both side effects spiritually aware humans felt when confronted with the sensation of overwhelming Spiritual Pressure. The fact that the first contact she had with Spiritual Pressure came from a Hallow and all she had was a bit of dizziness afterwards left Shinji with more questions swirling about within his mind. An ordinary human, and even most low level Soul Reapers, would have wetted themselves from the sheer terror. She fainted from the power that the Hallow emanated, not from her fear.

"You had a fainting spell. You're lucky I caught you, otherwise, you would have a nasty bump to go with your dizziness," explained Shinji as he pressed the back of his palm to her cool forehead.

His touch, how soothing it felt. Juliana sighed, closing her eyes as she gave herself over to the tender sensations of his touch. "I fainted?" she asked with her lips curling in a frown. "I've never fainted before."

The one time he should keep his mouth shut, this would have been the time, but Shinji was Shinji - he couldn't help himself. "Maybe you're pregnant," he teased.

Juliana's eyes opened quickly and narrowed intently. "If I didn't feel so sick to my stomach right now, I would hurt you."

He chuckled as he came to lean to her and blatantly pressed a kiss to her forehead. "You can hurt me any time you want."

Juliana made a pitiful attempt at a chuckle, which ended in a little groan and a flash of discomfort trickling along her forehead and spreading a thin sheen of sweat. Another brush of dizziness touched her. "How long was I out?"

"Not very long," he replied, brushing his fingers along the crease of her forehead in an attempt to ease her. "I brought here to get out of the sun and away from bothersome people."

Something bothered Shinji and it came from a look that crossed Juliana's eyes. They seemed to darken and go distant as if she was slipping deep into thought, a hint of realization shifting to panic. He noticed her breathing began to increase, her chest quivering with each ragged breath.

When the first whimper fell, Shinji cupped her face in his palms and forced her eyes and attention to him. "Look at me." Her eyes lifted to his. "Everything's okay. Breathe."

The moment she looked to him, Juliana began to ease as she took a deep breath, her chest lifting with the fill of air. The air shook within her lungs, stinging just slightly before she coughed the air out. Another breath was taken in followed by another breath taken in and released.

"There we go," he chuckled with a smile as he drew his hands from her cheeks.

"This is all so strange," she whimpered, pressing a palm to her temple. "I think I was dreaming, having a nightmare. I thought I saw…"

"It's the heat,' Shinji butted in, cutting off her words with a scowl tossed up to the bright sun, 'it makes you see things when you overheat."

Perhaps her mind was simply playing tricks with her. However, Juliana had the sinking sensation that what she had seen in her nightmare had not been a part of any dream. She didn't want to remember the creature she saw, it was terrifying. "I'm sorry," Juliana pouted, raising a hand to brush fingers along Shinji's cheek.

"What do you have to be sorry for?" he asked, casting her a slightly playful smile. He took hold of her hand bringing her palm against his chest, his thumb brushing over her knuckles in a comforting touch.

"I feel so silly for fainting on you. I didn't mean to mess up our coffee date."

She didn't have anything to apologize for. "So,' said Shinji as he changed the point of conversation, 'this was a date then?"

Juliana blinked with her eyes fluttering. "Date?" she repeated the question.

Shinji nodded, slowly, with a wide grin stretching his lips. "You said date."

"I did?"

Shinji had his eyes narrowing deviously. His grin kicked up to the right as he leaned close enough to her that their noses touched. "Yes, you did…"

Juliana's cheeks flushed at his nearness. There was a dark shadow to his eyes that crept a shiver along her flesh, but not in a bad way, more in the way of hot attraction. She had said the _D_ word, a slip of the tongue. "I…"

When she looked away, Shinji caught her chin within his long fingers. "Don't," he said softly, the teasing grin slipping away from his lips. When their eyes met again, Shinji set his forehead against hers. "Don't ever look away from me," he whispered.

That simple act of setting his forehead to hers snapped a part of Juliana's sub-consciousness. Her breath caught within her slender throat and she stared at his closed eyes and slightly parted lips as a calm silence settled about them. She knew, at that moment, that she was attracted to him, and not upon the outside physical nature of his body that was rather handsome but to a pull that she felt from deep within her. He was unique and quirky, almost awkward, and though his personality was a bit on the odd side, she found him quite interesting. She liked him - truly liked him.

Shinji Hirako had been in her thoughts since the first day they had met. Juliana couldn't push him from her mind, not even with delving into her studies. He went everywhere with her. He went to her bed, to school, and even into her shower. He had started to haunt her to the point where she had screamed into a pillow one night in complete frustration!

Never before had any man embedded himself so far into her thoughts. Juliana had avoided the want to get involved with any guy, and not solely due to her academic schedule but on the fact that there had never been a single point of interest that caught her eye. Then he came and sat next to her. Her entire walk home had been spent with Juliana chastising herself. Kissing a guy she'd only just met! How foolish! How immature!

How absolutely wonderful…

What was there to Shinji Hirako that turned her in to a simpering, flirtatious girl? She had more morals and ethics to her than to bat her eyes and giggle at a stranger. Whenever she was around him it seemed that Juliana was running on autopilot, reacting to his teases and deviancy with silly smiles and playful giggles.

As her thoughts cleared she spoke a whisper of his name, "Shinji…"

"Hmm?" he mumbled, content to caress her skin and breathe in her scent.

"Was this a date?"

"Yeah…"

Smiling, Juliana drew back just enough so she could kiss the tip of his nose. Then she sighed and fully drew away just so she could look down to her watch. The time was growing late, later than she had thought. "It's late," she told him. "I need to get home."

Shinji nodded. "I suppose so, huh? You need to rest after your fainting spell." He tipped his head, gazing to her with a cautious eye. "Maybe we should stop and get you something to eat?"

"I appreciate the offer, Shinji' she replied, shaking her head as she began to slip carefully from the table top, 'but I should be alright. I have a granola bar in my backpack. If I need something to eat, I can nibble on that. Besides, I'm sure my mum has prepared supper."

"Then let me walk you home." Shinji moved to support her when she began to move.

"You don't need to go to such trouble. I'll be fine."

"Are you sure? I don't want you to faint on your way home."

"Shinji…"

He tapped her upon the nose and said, "Allow a gentleman to be a gentleman, will ya?" He flashed a smirk as he moved to stand then took her hands, helping to balance her as she stood upon instable legs. "See?" he chuckled. "You're really weak."

"You're more of a hopeless flirt than a gentleman, Shinji."

"And?" He winked to her then took her backpack that had been tossed to the ground. "I'll take this. You just stay close to me. If you start getting dizzy, lean on me, alright?" He slipped on arm about her lower back, keeping her close.

"I feel silly," Juliana mewed, trying so hard not to blush.

"You would look even sillier if I had to carry you home, especially since I have no idea where you live." Shinji smirked as the two began to walk from the park. "Do you know how many weird looks I would get wandering around with a girl passed out in my arms?"

"Too many, I suppose. Thank you," she said to him with an appreciative smile.

In truth, Juliana was still a bit dizzy and unsure of her footing. She was slow in moving as a slight touch of instability hung upon her. Every once in a while she would weave, wincing and moaning as a touch of nausea danced through her, yet Shinji was at her side, angling his body to steady her when she did so. His arm was supportive yet gentle as he walked in step with her.

The two spoke back and forth as they made their way through from the shopping district of the street to an upper class neighborhood about a half a mile or so from the coffee shop. Beautiful, large homes rose up from behind walls, gates, and gardens all lined neatly next to each other on a brick street dotted with glowing street lamps. Shinji was rather shocked since most of Karakura town was built upon a modern design with touches of traditional Japanese architecture. This area seemed to be more modern and European in design.

"Your family must be pretty well off." He made the comment as they passed house after massive house.

Juliana blushed with a faint shrug of her shoulders. "My father works very hard."

"Which one is yours?"

"Two more up on the right."

There it was, a structure surrounded by a large brick wall with ivy crawling lusciously along the bricks. Juliana's house spoke of wealth and sophisticated décor. She even had to use a keypad to unlock the front gate that allowed the two to enter the property. They crossed the front yard and a small side garden that included a wall mounted fountain and white lights hanging among the trees. The house itself was a two story structure of dark wood, stone, and glass from where the glow of warm lights emanated. Compared to this house the buildings of the Soul Society could be considered dull and lifeless. He would never understand the human need to expand and elaborate on everything possible. Then again, he had seen the Kuchiki estate once.

"I'll take my pack now."

Juliana's voice drew Shinji from his thoughts, and with a nod, he handed her backpack over. After a moment of silence between the two, Juliana smiled. He was standing close to her with just a few inches separated them. With the closeness of their bodies, she felt suddenly vulnerable. With any other stranger, their close proximity would touch a bit of fear within her, but she didn't feel any fear with Shinji. Their closeness felt natural to her - comfortable.

With a shy smile, she tucked back a lock of her hear as her eyes drifted down to the ground. "I really do need to thank you, Shinji, for watching out for me. That was very kind of you."

"What was I supposed to do? Let you fall to the ground, cracking your head open and bleeding all over the side walk? What type of guy do you think I…" His words died within his slender throat as he saw Juliana lean to him, one of her hands pressing against his chest. She was kissing him then, kissing his words silent. His pale brown eyes went wide for a moment as his mind registered what was happening, but once his thoughts had settled, Shinji closed his eyes and leaned towards her, meeting her in the kiss.

The simple, sweet kiss took his breath away.

Beneath the soft embrace, Shinji felt his entire body tighten with a hot shudder. Her lips were warm, soft and oh so sweet. She felt wonderful as she pressed to him with her soft curves seemingly made to fit perfectly against his thin physique. He slipped one arm about her waist while the other slid fingers about the back of her neck, further drawing her to the kiss. A whimper tickled his senses as he wrapped her in his arms, and the reaction could be felt as her supple lips parted against his.

'_That's it…'_ Shinji purred from within his mind. He tipped his head, slanting his lips over hers as he deepened the kiss.

Juliana gasped when Shinji let his hot tongue trail along her bottom lip as if seeking permission to enter the warm recess of her mouth. When her lips parted, the kiss deepened even more with a slow trail of his tongue forwards. Damn, she tasted so good.

Juliana's mind disappeared as he innocent kiss turned intense, heating with their growing passion. Her body felt heavenly, tingling all over as her very soul began to scream in delight to the teasing flick of his tongue to her lips. She shivered and moaned, but in the end she wanted more. Juliana's hands trailed up his chest to curl at the junction of his shoulders and neck, caressing the soft flesh she felt beneath his shirt collar. There was no hope, no hope at all, as she plummeted into the pits of enchantment. Her heart pounded wildly, and when she finally drew her mouth from him, she was panting.

So was he.

Shinji licked her taste from his lips, along with a subtle trail of roughened fingertips from around her neck. He trailed his lean digits along her jaw then cupped her cheek within his palm. "Tell me what's going on, Juliana, because I don't understand any of this."

She smiled an unsure smile while leaning to his palm. "I'm not sure."

"You kissed me…"

"I know…"

"What do we do now?" he asked, his voice barely above a whisper.

"Meaning?" she inquired with a brow quirked.

"Us."

Sighing, Juliana drew back from him, leaving Shinji perplexed over her action. "Shinji…"

No, he wouldn't let her complete that sentence or any other questioning thoughts. Shinji knew where her question was heading and there was no way he would let her complete any negative thoughts. "Tell me,' he said, reaching for her again, 'tell me that you feel it, the pull we have to each other."

Juliana watched him take her hand within his long, thin fingers to bring her hand to his lips. She watched as he turned her hand over so his lips could skin along her palm, leaving her feeling a twisting shiver within her stomach. Feel what? Oh yes, the chemistry between the two. Is that what was going on? Was that what had been capturing her attention every minute of the last few days? The realization floored her. She had to admit that there was more to simply 'liking' Shinji when she woke this morning from a very pleasing and intimate dream. Yes, she more than liked the cocky Shinji Hirako.

One simple question remained. Was it possible for her to fall in love with a stranger after only knowing him for a few days? It must be, considering she had kissed him. And that kiss had left her lips tingling. "Oh, Shinji…" she heard herself whisper.

"You feel it. I know you do," he told her in a private whisper, pressing his lips to the corner of hers. Shinji then stepped back from her, shoving his hands into his pants' pockets. Once again that trademark smirking grin of his tugged on his thin lips. "Get some rest, Juliana."

Confusion knitted Juliana's brow as he dropped the subject and stepped away from her. He was acting so nonchalant while her tummy bounced excited about within her. He was acting odd. Then again, when was he not acting odd? Shinji just smiled to her then turned back down the path, heading towards the street. He didn't say anything else, just walked away while leaving her standing and staring at his back. Well, this wouldn't do.

"Shinji wait!" he heard her call after him. He stopped in mid-step then looked over his shoulder. She was fumbling with something as she came towards him then shoved something into his hand before kissing his cheek.

"Please call me," she insisted, taking steps back from him. "I don't want today to be our last date."

When she walked away, rushing up to the front door of the house, Shinji opened his hand to find a piece of paper with her phone number written upon it. He grinned then looked up when she called, "Good night, Shinji Hirako!" The door closed behind her with a little click. After folding the paper, he slid the precious object into the breast-pocket of his polo shirt before he turned and headed back to the street.

As he stepped past the gate, he looked back to the house one last time. "Good night,' he said in a hushed whisper as he closed the gate behind him, 'my Honey Eyes."

24


	3. Emerald Eyes

Honey Eyes A Bleach Fanfiction S . Lazic

Emerald Eyes

**(Warning: Lemons)**

_**K**__azumi moaned oh so sweetly - softly. Her head rolled back as a wave of luscious pleasure danced prickles along her spine. Dampness coated her flesh as she moved in perfection synchronization to the dance of sexual bliss that was guided by her lover's strong, thin hands. The tight muscles of her curvaceous body coiled then released with each command given by the man beneath her. She didn't mind the curl of nails that pierced the flesh of her hips as the nipping sensation surged erotic pleasure through her. _

_When her body was bucked upwards from a sharp and upward thrust, she gasped throatily as she bowed forwards in a curtain of fallen chestnut. She curled her fingers painfully into her lover's tight chest that she used for support as her limbs were nothing but liquid. Kazumi's body refused to listen to her. All of her movements came from the hands that held her slender waist. When her lover demanded more of her, she replied in accordance by sweeping her hips forwards then slowly rolling her hips back before her lover thrust violently into her tight core. _

_Kazumi cried out, her long locks of chestnut cascading over her as her quivering strength failed her sending her arching down against her lover's hard form. He grunted and groaned while thrusting and bucking into her with deep, penetrating strokes. A whisper of his name tumbled from her lips only to be silenced by a hungry kiss that pressed to his awaiting mouth. His lips parted, whispering heatedly words of erotic encouragement that would make any woman blush, yet to her the sensual words only fueled her desire for him. Past his mumbles, his lips willing accepted the brutal attack of her tongue as the slickened muscle swept forwards to deepen the kiss. He tasted like sake, sweet yet tart. With her fingers slinking into long strands of his golden blond hair, Kazumi moaned as she drank in the bruising kiss that was returned to her. _

_Slender, long fingers gripped her body as her lover refused to relinquish his grip upon her driving hips. He held onto her with nails nearly breaking her skin till her flesh turned red. Only when a hiss of delicate pain pressed passed her lips did his brutal grip upon her lessen and his thin arms wrap about her._

_Whimpers fell from both partners, melting and blending into the hungered kisses that struggled for vitality. No longer could either breathe so the kiss was abandoned and the lovers gave in to relishing in the hot sensations running their bodies. Kazumi buried her face into the naked crook of her lover's neck where her tongue teased salt laced flesh, nibbling and kissing till he groaned with approval. She panted, whimper, and moan as he manipulated the depth of his thrusts so she could feel every inch of his length gliding in and out of her. Her hands slipped up along his slick chest, scraping her long nails over his skin to leave angry lines of red in their wake. Music to her ears was the low, primal growl that was pressed against her hair as the body beneath her jerked from the nip of pain. _

_Together, the two created a symphony of erotic sounds - moans and groans - whimpers and gasps. _

_One moved in accordance to the other's will. One bucked upwards as the other was pulled down. One moaned when the other screamed._

"_Harder," Kazumi whimpered with a tumble of her voice that was laced with desperate need and forbidden desire. _

_Her body felt tight, as if every muscle that lined her form begged for release. Her beg, that sweet and delicious beg, drew forth a groan from the man beneath her, and she felt a hand leave her hip to drag along her spine before fisting into her hair. The momentary discomfort felt divine as her head was pulled away from the shoulder she had taken comfort upon only to have her body forced to arch back and away from her lover. Her honey coated eyes closed and her lips parted as a ragged gasp of pleasure tore through her throat. She loved it when he grew dominate with her - forceful! The way he controlled her sexual cravings, commanded and broke her all in the name of loving passion, filled her with intense hunger. Kazumi wanted to consume every inch of the man beneath her! _

_As another wave of pleasure clawed down her spine, Kazumi tossed her head back with a scream echoing the room! Her voice danced around the dim lit room lined with glowing candles. The remaining arm about her moved to wrap about her slender waist as her lover moved. No longer was he upon his back but settled upon his knees with her body held against him. He never missed a beat yet continued to drive his hips forwards, pounding roughly into her spasming body. His slender thighs convulsed as his hips rocked back and forth - up and down running his hard flesh within her heated core as he picked up a deep rhythm. _

_He was on the verge of losing his control as his entire body trembled, gasping and growling as he hissed against her ear, "Put your legs around me."_

_The way he said that command, his voice hot and tight, had Kazumi's sexually hazed mind obeying without question. Sleek, slick thighs slipped about her lover's slender hips so that her ankles could lock against his lower back. To feel the muscles lining his sides and his flanks tighten, pulsating with each thrust, pushed her closer to the edge of release. With this new angle of penetration, she could feel him pushing deeper within her. She could feel the swollen tip of his flesh press against the opening of her womb. In her mindless desperation, she tried to grind herself against him so that their bodies would rub and caress together in perfect unison. _

_Each torturous tease of their physiques together sent shockwaves of pleasure through their sex ridden bodies. Kazumi cried out in pleasure, her limbs tightening about her lover, as he drove into her with little abandon. Her body shook as she curled fingers in his hair, tipping her head and whimpering his name in a hushed whisper to his ear. And, in a moment of sexual bliss, she bit his shoulder earning a sharp hiss and a violent thrust. _

_Behind closed doors, Kazumi's lover was a different man than the man that was known within the Seireitei. Behind closed doors, he was a true lover - passionate and intense. He harbored a hidden side that only she was privileged to experience, a side that kept secret his sexual desires and fantasies. When the two were alone, twisting about in their naked embrace, he would release his dominance on her, allowing his defenses to fall so she could take over. However, he wouldn't let her command of him for long, just enough for Kazumi to enjoy herself. He always took his power back. _

"_Do it again," he hissed hotly while curling his fingers painfully against her rump. "Bite me harder."_

_Kazumi grinned wickedly against the crook of his neck where her lips parted and her wet, hot tongue teased his salty skin as if apologizing for the previous love bite. Her lover moaned, tipping his head to cause the tendon running the length of his neck to tighten in anticipation. A breathy groan was given when her lips parted and her teeth scraped along his protruding collarbone. With a delicate sweep of her tongue along his neck, she began to suckle his throat lovingly. _

"_Don't tease me," her lover rasped through a gasp of pleasure then turned his head to the side, the move making that tendon bulge outward. The grip in her hair tightened. He wanted to feel her teeth. He wanted her to mark him._

_Kazumi swirled her tongue over the nipped skin then trailed her hot mouth over his offered flesh. "Tease you?' she purred softly against the shell of his ear, 'now why would I do that?" _

_The feel of her tongue sweeping over his ear drew a deep, vibrating snarl from the man's slender throat. He shuddered, arched, and moaned to the feel of her moist lips embracing his sensitive ear. The way her tongue circled and lapped sent prickles of heat down his spine. She was toying with him, and he loved every minute of it. A grin took his thin lips, spreading them wide along his features to show a line of white teeth. Kazumi must have forgotten one important fact - he could tease as well. The slap echoed his private chamber as the palm of a hand came down playfully against one firm cheek of her rear. The nude woman in his embrace bucked with a sharp squeak of delight. _

"_Brat," he hissed, giving her little rump another 'delicate' swat of encouragement. _

_Though the 'spank' was a sharp kiss of palm against flesh, Kazumi melted to him with a purr of pleasure. His sexual teases never turned abusive to her so his 'spanks' were just teases between the two lovers. Whenever she took her dominance a bit too far with him, disobeying the wants from her lover, he would take control again with a love spank. There was no humiliation in the act, or degradation, for the act was simply him saying - 'enough is enough, you spoiled little brat. Give me what I want or you'll suffer later. I promise you that.' _

_With a seductive giggle, Kazumi gathered a fist full of her lover's long strands of damp, golden hair in her strong grip then gently pulled his head to the side to an almost painful angle so she could grant him one last bite. Obviously, he didn't mind the awkwardness as she felt his hips buck forwards out of lust. Her eyes closed, and she gasped as his embedded shaft, throbbing and hard, rubbed against her sensitive core, teasing her tight walls that held his length in a loving, pulsating embrace. _

_That's when she raised her head and gave to him what he wished. Her love sucked in a deep breath as her teeth sank into his neck. He gripped her body, bucking against her violently as a gurgled cry burned from within his slender throat. His slim eyes closed tightly as he enjoyed the racing pain from his lover's bite. That's all he needed, all he wanted! His body responded instantly to the burning pleasure, tightening and coiling as he yanked her against him, lifted her, and then slammed her onto the bed-mat. _

_Kazumi's grip upon his neck released as her lover laid her down once again. Taking her thighs in his nimble hands, he guided her legs higher along his flanks, bending her knees back towards her chest thus bringing her hips upwards into a very deep and pleasing angle. Leaning forwards, his lean frame drove into her, pushing deeper and deeper till he bucked and ground against the swollen folds of her sex._

_The contact had Kazumi withering in ecstasy. Her body begged for more, twisting against the contact that had his flesh hard against her. Her lover moaned as he leaned to her, crushing her plush, quivering breasts against his chest. He loved the feel of her smooth flesh, slickened by sweat, slip and slide against his body in time with his movements. His hands caressed over her, moving from her jerking hips, up along her quivering stomach then higher to cup and toy with her firm breasts. She cried out in bliss, throwing her head back as her body tightened in preparation for her coming release._

_He felt the way her inner flesh clutched and pulled against him. The sensation drove him mad with lust as he felt himself being pulled deeper and deeper into her trembling depths. She was so hot - so wet when he pressed himself against her, crushing her beneath him as he wrapped his arms about her and buried his face into her damp hair. His kisses fell to her neck where his lips brought fluttering touches over her chin before settling upon her lips. _

"_Don't hold back," he snarled into the hard kiss. _

_Kazumi responded to him with a low, quivering moan when he kissed her, his tongue forcing its way into her hot mouth, sweeping and licking and drinking in her throaty groans. Kazumi locked her legs about his flanks while lifting her hips, rocking and bucking as her lover began to pound into her relentlessly. Her nails clawed along his shoulders leaving lines of deep red scoring his flesh. Neither could hold the kiss anymore as their souls were lifted higher and higher into the embrace of erotic pleasure. _

_Then Kazumi's world blew apart! Her body exploded with sensations. Liquid fire erupted from the pit of her stomach to flow wildly throughout her body and to mix with the pleasure that was her lover's release. He bucked, driving into her once then twice then three times before he froze over her, trembling and jerking violently. He then arched like a cat, leaning his head back as a deep cry echoed the room!_

_Kazumi clung to him as she rode out her pleasure only to scream out his name as one last torrent of spasming release tore through her.__"Shinji!"_

_There were no words in creation that could explain the feelings that came after sexual release. Kazumi's body ached with every muscle quivering and screaming at her when she tried to move. Her legs spasmed as she slowly unwrapped herself from about Shinji's thin body. When he lowered himself down atop of her, stretching against her body, she embraced him and began to stroke her fingers along his back as if soothing the red markings she left marring his skin. _

_Deep breaths raked in and out of Shinji's lungs, pushing through his body as he came to rest against her while lazily brushing his lips against any part of her damp skin that he could reach without moving. If this was what it felt to die of an orgasm, then he shouldn't have any problem facing death in her arms. His body was covered in sweat and every muscle twitched as nerves were slowly dying from his powerful orgasm. He should move. Then again, Shinji was rather lazy and Kazumi's luscious body was far too comfortable._

_When she moved, Shinji propped himself onto an elbow so he could look down to her. As he watched her in contented silence, he combed his long and spindly fingers through her damp hair, grumbling when his fingers were caught in a snag. He watched how her beautiful face softened as she leaned towards the caress. "You are so beautiful," he whispered._

_A blush burned along her cheeks as she closed her eyes to the caress along her jaw. "And you are a perverted sexist man," she said in jest. Kazumi mewed in delight as she shifted beneath his thin weight, wanting only to feel more of his body. _

_Shinji scoffed and rolled his eyes as his lips thinned just enough to give a hint of teeth. "Sexist? No," he muttered then slyly looked back to her as his lips curled into his wicked smile. "Perverted? Absolutely. Correct me if I am wrong, Miss. Hirowari-Hakagoji, but I believe you rather enjoy my perverted side." _

_Kazumi's cheeks heated beneath his seductive gaze. There was no mistaking that the Captain knew exactly what he did to her and took delight in every twisted moment of play. With an innocent chuckle, she slapped him gently on his shoulder then frowned as she noticed the bruises and teeth marks peeking out from beneath his blond hair._

_She whispered softly as she ran a fingertip along a tiny section of deep purple and black coloration, "I hurt you."_

_Shinji shivered as her finger passed over his stinging skin. He didn't like the way she frowned, nor did he like the way she referred to their love making as hurtful. Leaning down, he nuzzled her hair and drew into his lungs her scent that was a mixture of lavender and sex. "Shut up," he muttered, his lips kissing down along her neck. "You didn't hurt me. I love it when you get rough," he told her in a sensual purr, and to make his point, Shinji flexed his hips to remind her that he was still buried within her body. _

_Kazumi's eyes drifted closed as she arched her back off the mat and allowed a sweet moan to flutter past her lips. A little shockwave of pleasure trickled through her as he caressed, on purpose, her sensitive flesh. She moaned as he drew from her body, slowly. When Shinji rolled to his back, opening his arms in welcome along with a sarcastically smug smile, she willingly curled to him. She slipped a slender leg over his waist, hooking her ankle against his outer hip, then brought her hips flush to his. Kazumi grinned her own smug grin to the feeling of Shinji shivering at the intimate contact. As she laid her head to his chest, she fell into contented ease, caressing patterns over his thin chest. _

"_Shinji?"_

"_Hmm?"_

"_Do you ever wonder if anybody else has noticed that we are seeing each other?" she asked softly as her eyes fluttered closed._

_Shinji shrugged his bony shoulders and replied to her question with a deep breath, "I really don't care if anybody's noticed. Our relationship isn't their concern." _

_The soft chime of a clock drew their lazy attention. _

_Shinji yawned, and Kazumi pouted as she pressed herself closer to him. "You should sleep," she mewed, kissing his neck. She reminded him, "You have a Captain's meeting early in the morning, or did you forget?"_

"_Not yet," he grumbled sleepily. "I was just hoping to forget the meeting by the time it starts." _

"_You are hopeless, Captain." Kazumi sighed as she too yawned. With another nuzzle to his shoulder, she gave herself over to the call of slumber._

"_Yeah,' Shinji whispered as he tugged the cover from his bedroll over their tucked bodies, 'but you love me."_

**A**izen sat upon his throne of stone that rose high above the white washed floors of his audience chamber, if one could call the room made of blocks of stone jutting up from the cold stone floor a 'chamber'. There was nothing but thick gloom surrounding the chamber with only a few dim lights streaming down from the impossibly tall ceiling. With no windows offering a source of light, the darkness could easily creep on in and suffocate any soul within. This was the chamber where Sōsuke Aizen would meet with any who wished an audience with him. In the adjacent room, he often met with his Espada, the eight most powerful Arrancar in his army of killers, where they would plan their attacks and discuss their terror filled agendas.

This night, however, he was alone within the chamber, sitting quietly and staring out into the dark as his thoughts twisted within his mind. Aizen had been in deep thought for most of the day, his warm brown eyes staring at nothing particular while his mind twisted in pondering thoughts. And though he made the decree early on that none shall disturb him, Gin couldn't bring himself to obey - as usual. The ex-Soul Reaper Captain was too smug to actually obey any order given to him, and it seemed that he paid no attention to his safety or his life as he strolled into the chamber as the massive stone door closed slowly behind him with a grating, weighted groan

At the other end of the room, Aizen raised his eyes yet did not lift his cheek from the closed palm of his hand that it rested upon.

"Why so gloomy today?" Gin teased with that sly voice of his. He so enjoyed baiting the so called 'King of Heuco Mundo.'

Sōsuke didn't reply, only narrowed his eyes down upon Gin. There was no hope in teaching the ex-Captain the rules of etiquette that he demanded of the others for Gin would only disobey him with an air of arrogant delight. With a deep breath, Aizen's calm voice inquired, "Is there something you wish, Gin?" His liquidy smooth voice echoed ever so delicately off the stone walls.

Gin's fox-like expression of deviousness tightened in to a broad smile. "You have been locked within this room for quite a long time. I came to make sure that you are still alive." Gin went on to say, "It's not like you to drown yourself in unbalanced thoughts."

Aizen closed his eyes and tipped his head as a handsome smirk touched his lips. He didn't like the idea that something could throw him off balance as he prided himself on being collected, on being calm. His calmness was frightening, so much so that he had been able to drive his Zanpakutou through the heart of the one person who honestly loved him without a pinch of pity or regret. Poor little Momo.

Through his slotted eyes, Gin saw the faint smile that graced Aizen's lips. Having known the other ex-Captain for over a hundred years, Gin knew that the man was forming some conniving thoughts. Gin could feel his flesh prickle as he looked through heavily lidded eyes. "I wonder, what you are thinking?" he mused.

That's when Aizen's eyes slowly drew open and his lips formed a dashing yet truly evil smile. "I have found her, Gin."

A slim brow arched upon Gin's unique features. He inquired curiously and cautiously, "Found who?"

"Kazumi."

**T**he most annoying, high pitched noise drove straight through Juliana's peaceful dreams. From underneath the bundle that was both covers and her body, an arm shot out to slap a hand blindly around the bedside table till she found the source of the obnoxious sound - her alarm clock. With one toss, the thing went flying across the room to crash against a wall with a loud clatter. It chirped and danced about on the floor for a moment or two before going still.

Moaning, Juliana dragged her pillow over her head to protect herself from the coming day. Why did that darn alarm have to go off so early, especially when she was having the most wonderful dream about a handsomely erotic, blond haired and cocky man? The dream had been so real that she swore her lips were tingling from the dreamy kisses. So why was that obnoxious buzzer going off? Oh yeah, she had promised to go to an art exhibit at the local museum with her mother and cousin, Dai. And since her mother was considered an art freak, they had to be at the museum right at the time of opening, and that meant waking up as if it were a school day.

What was worse, she heard her mother's slippers slapping against the hard wood floor out in the hall. "Don't you do it," Juliana mumbled to herself. "Don't you dare knock..."

*knock, knock, knock*

"Juliana!"

Damn

"Juliana, dear. Are you up yet?"

Juliana groaned then began to unwind herself from her covers. For some reason her body was extra stiff this morning, probably from the fainting spell that had occurred the previous night. She felt more than exhausted; at least the dizziness had left her. It wasn't as if she did not want to go to the museum, she just wanted to have a lazy weekend at home instead of being dragged across the city to stare at old paintings. At least she could look forwards to spending the day with Dai, that way her mother had somebody else to unleash her excitement upon.

"Juliana?"

Even her mother's voice was sounding overly excited and left Juliana with a sense of exhaustion. Groaning, she tried to comb out the knots that had formed in her thick hair. "Yes, mum!" she called. "I'm awake."

"Good! Hurry up, dear. I have breakfast waiting for you, but we do need to be heading out in about an hour if we wish to pick up our tickets on time. We don't want to miss our entry slot."

Juliana licked her dry lips, making a face to the feeling of her dry mouth. She smacked her lips together a few times then began to crawl her way out of her bed. Out in the hall her mother's footsteps drifted away then down the stairs. Her thoughts went back to Shinji and the dream that she had. At least, she thought the man within her dream had been Shinji. She called him Shinji. Oh, that dream! She sighed and closed her eyes to allow herself a moment to enjoy the images. She shouldn't have such dreams as they were unbecoming of a lady. Then again, she had failed all those etiquette classes she went through as a child. Though she couldn't deny the fact that what Shinji had done to her in that dream only made her desire more of him, she had to admit that the dream itself was rather odd.

She knew the man in the dream had to be Shinji even though he looked different - older. The man had Shinji's beautiful golden hair and wide smile as well as his slender brown eyes, yet his hair had been longer, much longer. He had also called her Kazumi and not Juliana, which didn't make a lick of sense to her.

Oh well - even if the dream was nothing but a dream, the dream was still a very lovely dream brought on by a very lovely kiss. Juliana thought back to the kiss she had shared with Shinji at the front doorstep. Never before, in her life, had she kissed a man like that. Then again, she had never kissed a man before as the want had never manifested within her desires. Where had she sparked that surge of self-confidence? What within her imagination had encouraged her to kiss him like that? The want had been there, probably for days, yet she had refused to acknowledge the building desire.

Then last night…

Sighing, she lifted a set of fingers to touch her lips. She could still taste him, it was an unexplainable taste that made her blush. Those memories spent with Shinji Hirako drifted away when her room danced with the delicate music of Tchaikovsky. It was her cell phone ringing from upon her desk. "Who is calling me this early?" she asked herself as she stood then shuffled across the fluffy carpet and over to her desk. Snagging her mobile, she looked at the number indicated on the caller I.D. She didn't know the number, though she recognized it as being within the area.

"Hello?" she yawned, turning about to shuffle her way to her closet.

"Morning, Sunshine."

Juliana stopped in her tracks and smiled softly. "Well, a good morning to you, Mister Hirako. What a pleasant surprise to hear from you so early in the morning, and on a weekend as well."

"It's not too early to call you, is it?"

"Not at all," she said in a very pleased but still sleepy voice. She pulled open her closet and began to look through the clothes hanging inside. "I have been up for a few minutes now."

"You know that it's Saturday, the day to sleep in right?"

Juliana rolled her eyes. "Each day you astound me with your brilliance."

"Harsh," Shinji chuckled on the other end of the line. "And here I was calling out of concern."

"Concern?"

"Yeah. You fainted on me yesterday. Remember?"

Juliana felt her cheeks burn in a deep blush. Juliana's eyes fluttered quickly as they blinked, and she shook her head as if clearing away the embarrassing memories. "I remember," she said, trying to refocus her mind on picking out an outfit to wear for the day.

"I wanted to call and see how you are doing this morning."

She smiled softly at the tenderness she heard within his voice. After picking out a blouse, she walked back to her bed where she sat to the edge, turning her full attention to Shinji on the other end of the call. "That's very sweet of you, Shinji. You don't need to worry. I slept well and woke with no hint of dizziness, so I can only guess that whatever had caused me to faint yesterday is out of my system." She smiled softly as she remembered waking up on the picnic table and looking up to see his face filled with worry. "I want to thank you again for being so kind to me yesterday. I would really like to make our missed date up to you somehow, if you'd let me."

There was a pause.

"Shinji?"

He chuckled, "You don't have to worry. There will be other days for coffee."

"I know," Juliana muttered as a frown touched her lips. "Still, I was really looking forwards to our coffee date and well,' she sighed while looking down to her toes dragging along her fluffy carpet, 'I want to make up for it. Please?"

"What do you have in mind?"

Juliana pondered the answer as she looked about her room. She could ask him out to dinner. She knew an amazing Indian restaurant that specialized in Kashmir cuisine. Then the answer came to her and a little smile tickled her lips. "Do you like art, Shinji?"

"Art?"

"Yes," she chuckled with a smirk upon her lips. "There is an art exhibit opening today at the Karakura museum. I believe the exhibit is showing handmade crafts from Peru. I'm sure art isn't your thing, but my mum and my cousin are going with me today. If you're interested, I'd like to invite you to join us."

There was silence on the other end of the line, and Juliana felt as if she suddenly had made a mistake. What guy would want to go to an art exhibit displaying colorful woven baskets? She was about to apologize when she heard him ask, "What time?" Juliana quickly looked to her clock only to remember she had killed it. At least she could pull her phone from her ear to check the time.

"We plan to be at the museum to get our tickets by opening. I believe that the museum opens at nine. If you could meet us there at half past eight, that would be wonderful. The exhibit is by groups, and my mother is wanting to be the first group in. Would that work for you?"

"Eight-thirty?"

"Mmhmm."

"I'm usually not one for artsy stuff, but since it gives me a chance to spend time with you, I accept your offer. Eight-thirty at the Karakura museum. I'll be there."

Juliana felt her heart explode with thumping heat. She was giddy with excitement! "Wonderful!" she exhaled. "I'll see you there."

The call went silent, and she fell back with her arms stretching up over her head with her fingers twisting into her hair. She could feel her heart dancing excitedly within her chest, so she tried to calm the quick beat with a deep breath. With a sigh, she closed her eyes and whispered, "I'll see you there, Mister Hirako."

"**I** have never seen you so wired, Juli," Dai laughed as she watched her English born cousin pace back and forth inside the lobby of the Karakura Town Museum. Dai, a native of Japan, leaned against one of the decorative walls while Juliana's mother, Emily, slipped away to purchase their tickets, a fourth being added for Shinji. "How much coffee have you had this morning, and did you bring any for me?"

Juliana paused in her pacing to regard her cousin with a tip of her head. She didn't know whether to swat Dai or laugh at her cousin's rational question. "Unfortunately, no," she sighed with her slender shoulders slumping. "I didn't bring any coffee. Sorry."

Dai stuck out her tongue.

Juliana glanced about the lobby where a crowd was already gathering, waiting for the first group to be called to enter the exhibit. Juliana glanced in the direction her mother had walked off, hoping that Emily would not have too much to complain about Juliana's guest. When told of the need for an extra ticket, Emily couldn't believe that the added ticket was for a friend of Juliana's who would be joining them, a boy none the less! Emily knew of the young man who had seen her daughter safely back to the house as she had seen him leaving the front gate of the house, and when asking of his identity, she had been told that he was a friend from another school who had walked her home. Emily was delighted to know that the young man would be joining them and looked forwards to thanking him for taking such good care of her daughter since she had been informed of him seeing to Juliana when she had fainted.

Juliana glanced to her watch. Shinji was cutting time short, and she was starting to wonder if he was even going to show. He would come, wouldn't he? Shinji didn't seem the type of man to leave a woman hanging. She muttered under her breath in an attempt to squish the herd of raging butterflies that were flying drunk within her stomach. She tried to take a few deep breaths but it seemed nothing she tried to regain her self-control helped.

She did not understand why she was feeling so nervous considering she had not felt nervous before when with him; she had been shy. So why now? It had to be because her mother and her cousin were with her thus making this date more unnerving. Dai wouldn't dare think of doing anything to humiliate her, would she? Juliana tossed her cousin a curious eye to which Dai arched a brow, smiled then wiggled a few fingers in the form of a wave. Juliana sighed. Besides Dai, there was no reason for Juliana to be nervous. Then again, Shinji was meeting her at a museum and not a popular coffee shop and that reason seemed to make this date more 'official.'

"If you don't stop turning circles, I'm going to need a Dramamine," said Dai in a tease.

Dai, who had just turned twenty years old, flicked a finger to a strand of her brown hair, purposefully dyed and highlighted with a touch of dark gold. The short but wavy strand was tucked back behind her ear to display the more asymmetrical and tight cut she sported.

"I'm nervous," Juliana told her cousin with a little whimper as she looked back to her watch. "If he doesn't make it here on time, he can't get in."

Dai rolled her shockingly electric green eyes once again. "Are you sure he's coming?"

"As sure as I can be," she replied, glancing to her cousin. "I don't think Shinji is the type of guy to not follow through with his word. He's a gentleman, an honorable one at that."

Dai barked a laugh that drew a scowl from Juliana. "What enchanted story have you been reading?" She waved away her cousin's glare. "Besides, you've only known him for a short time. You can't just assume he's some romantic gentleman who is going to keep his word to you."

Unconsciously, Juliana played with her watch - twisting the faux band of black leather around her slender wrist. Her eyes, those beautiful honey eyes, continued to scan the thickening crowd for any sign of Shinji, who would stick out like a sore thumb. "The only fairytales I have been reading come from the books you have been loaning me," she replied without looking back to Dai.

Dai's grinned. "You're in trouble then."

Juliana frowned. Every possible reason for why Shinji could be late kept turning and turning within her mind. Time was running short, and if he didn't arrive soon, she would have her first heart attack at her tender age! Maybe he was in trouble…maybe…

"Hey there, Sunshine."

The words tickled warmly from over her shoulder to caress along her exposed neck. Juliana gasped softly as her body shivered from the sensation. "Shinji," she whispered quietly so that only the two heard his name.

"Something wrong? You're putting a run in the floor," asked Shinji with a touch of play to his voice.

With a soft chuckle, she turned about and smiled upon seeing his charming grin. "I thought you were going to ditch on me. You're cutting it close."

"Am I?" Shinji reached forwards, taking her wrist that her watch was strapped to just so he could lift it before his view. He had to tip his head far to the right so he could read the numbers upside down, which wasn't difficult to him considering…

It was a cute gesture that had Juliana giggling.

"I have two minutes," he said, tossing her a smirk as he pointed over his shoulder. "If you want, I can leave then come back."

Juliana slapped him playfully on the shoulder causing his smirk to only deepen. "No," she mewed gently. "You might get lost in this crowd. We wouldn't want that."

Shinji nodded as he took a glance about. She was right. He might get swallowed up by all these people. Come to think of it, where were the fire exits? Taking a deep breath, he turned back to Juliana and for the first time took a good look at her. She looked rather beautiful this morning with her thick hair braided over one shoulder to where the trimmed ends tickled over her right breast. There was no makeup tainting her skin that he could see thus allowing her natural beauty to shine. She wore a thin white camisole of lace beneath a flowing sundress of white and blue print that cut off just above her knees. The dress was rather conservative, but on her, the dress was simply adorable.

"Thank you."

Shinji blinked as he was drawn from his thoughts to look to her. Did she just say thank you? He tipped his head. "What for?" he asked.

"For showing up."

"Wait…' Shinji leaned close to her with one eye narrowing and with the opposite brow arching, 'you really thought I wouldn't show?"

Juliana felt a blush creeping up along her cheeks. "Well…"

"She was on the verge of a panic attack."

Both Shinji and Juliana stopped their private conversation to look over Juliana's shoulder and to another young woman who was grinning towards them. The amused girl wiggled a few fingers in their direction and added, "She's been so nervous that I bet her butterflies have butterflies in their stomachs."

Juliana made a noise that sounded somewhat like a mix of a moan and a humiliated whimper. She even hung her head as she turned back towards Shinji. "That's my cousin, Dai," she grumbled pitifully.

Shinji looked from the laughing Dai then down to Juliana as she hung her head in shame. He smirked and slipped an arm about her, drawing her against him. Back against the wall, Dai was cackling even more as her cousin hid her face against the man's thin chest.

"Please ignore her," Juliana muttered into the silk-like fabric of Shinji's black shirt.

He didn't miss the slight giggle he heard lacing her words. But still, he liked the fact that she had turned to him for comfort, even pressing to him to seek solace within his arms. The situation was rather comical. "There, there." He gently pat Juliana on the back. "Don't pay attention to her. She's just jealous you're in the arms of a handsome man."

He stuck his pierced tongue out towards Dai bringing out another fit of laughter from her. He bent his head and pressed his lips to the top of Juliana's chestnut locks and mumbled, "Don't worry. I know a certain pigtailed friend of mine who would love to beat some sense into your cousin. Just say the word and I'll call the banshee."

The banshee? Was he referring to the girl she had heard screeching over the phone the first day she met him? Lifting her eyes, she smiled in appreciation. "Are you going to defend my honor?"

Shinji touched a finger beneath her chin to raise her features a little closer to him. "I wouldn't go that far considering I wouldn't be able to protect your virtue from myself." He cast her a playful wink then allowed Juliana to turn around in his embrace before they walked together over to Dai.

"Shinji. Allow me to introduce you to my cousin, Dai." Juliana glared to Dai and mumbled harshly, "Who is going to get a slap if she doesn't stop laughing."

Dai's cheeks were flushed red as she tried to catch her breath. When she had gulped down enough air, she looked to the two and said jovially, "Pleasure to meet you. Though, from what I've heard, Juli has had more of the pleasure."

Juliana moaned and covered her eyes with a hand. "I knew I should have left her in the car to suffocate."

Shinji squeezed her shoulders. "We'll lose her in the crowd." When Juliana looked up to him with hope filled eyes, he chuckled and dipped his head to touch a kiss to her cheek.

"Here we are!" Emily Stanford's bright and cheerful voice drew the attention of the trio, quieting their conversation of teases and polite treats. "I have the tickets." Emily stopped with the tickets offered in a hand. However, her eyes and her attention went directly to the young man whose arms were about her daughter. She froze dead in her tracks. Even her breath locked within her chest as she stared hard to the young man. A cold shiver ran down her spine as she looked at a face that was hauntingly familiar. She thought the name of Juliana's friend had been coincidence, but she wasn't so sure now that she was looking at the physical person.

After a few quick seconds of silence, Emily gathered herself and said, "You must be Shinji Hirako."

Shinji's slender brow arched ever so slowly as he fell beneath the woman's critical gaze. There was a touch of ice to the woman's voice in the way she said his name, and the way she was looking at him set a warning within his body off. "That I am," he admitted in reply.

"Juliana told me of what happened last night and how you saw her home after she fainted."

"Right on him…"

"Dai!" barked Emily as she cast her niece a glare. "Behave yourself or I'm turning you into the lost and found where your father can claim you after forty-eight hours."

Clearing her voice, Emily looked back Shinji and, with a shake of her head, gave a smile then began to hand out the tickets. She shouldn't allow her mind to over think the situation. "Here you are. These are your tickets," Emily told the group. "Our group will be called first." She glanced over her shoulder then back to the small group. "Which should be soon. Now, I don't expect any of you to stick around me, so feel free to go wondering off, but please keep your hands to yourself and behave and stay out of trouble." To accent her suggestion, she slid her eyes towards Dai.

Dai's eyes were already narrowed playfully upon her cousin while avoiding Emily's direct line of sight. "You hear that, Julie? Keep your hands inside the boat at all times and try not to let your fingers go wandering. You're here to visit the museum,' she added with a touch of snootiness, 'not snog on your new boyfriend."

Juliana muttered under her breath, and this time her mutter held little amusement.

Emily wagged a finger to her niece. "Dai, I'm warning you." She then said to the small group, "How about we meet at the museum café around eleven-thirty for some lunch? That way you all can see the rest of the museum after. How does that sound?"

"That's fine with me," said Juliana. She glanced to Shinji. "Is that alright with you?" He nodded even though he was still glaring towards Emily from the corner of his slender eyes.

Just then a buzzer sounded followed by an announcement that group A could enter the exhibit room. As the crowd began to move, Dai and Juliana making idle talk as the line moved slowly, Emily stepped up to Shinji's side where she could say quietly, "I want to thank you for what you did last night. I've never known Julie to faint before."

Shinji cast Emily an honest smile, though his smiles always seemed to be more of a sly smirk. He shrugged his thin shoulders. "It's not a problem. I did what any other good hearted guy would do, and I'd do it again in a heartbeat."

Emily nodded, though it seemed her eyes were delayed in looking away from Shinji. Juliana came to his side once more, saying something that had him leaning closer as she was whispering to him. He laughed and put his arm about her shoulders, giving her a one armed hug. Emily had to force her eyes away.

"**Y**ou called for me, Lord Aizen?"

Sōsuke Aizen's deep brown eyes lifted to look across the dark floor to where Ulquiorra, the fourth Espada, had just entered through the closing door. Aizen sat quietly, staring intently at the Espada who was taking his time walking forwards. His mind turned in on itself with curling thoughts that had been stewing ever since the incredible discovery that Kazumi was alive.

Finally, after a hundred years, she had come back. He thought had lost her forever that fateful night when she disappeared from the Soul Society, rumored to have been stolen and snuck off to the World of the Living by one of Kisuke Urahara's close associates. Then again, there had been many rumors that had circulated the whole of the Seireitei about Kazumi once her affair with Captain Hirako had come to light.

Aizen had always known of the intimacy shared between his old Captain and the woman he had secretly desired - and still did desire. And though her relationship with Shinji Hirako had wounded Sōsuke deeply, his obsession with her had never softened. He loved her, and still loved her. There had always been hope within him that she was alive and that, one day, he would find her. Though that hope had slowly dissipated as each decade went by without any proof of her existence. Knowing that Shinji was also hiding within the World of the Living had tossed some worry to Aizen that Kazumi and the old Captain may find each other. If they ever did reunite, Aizen was sure that he would never forgive either of them.

He would destroy them both, even the woman he craved.

She was the sole reason for everything. She was the driving force behind his plans. Everything he had done was for her, and how did she repay him? She tried to take her own life. Aizen would have given her the world. In fact, he built Las Noches, his castle, in homage for her where they could rule over Hueco Mundo from their thrones. With her at his side, he would destroy the Seireitei, and once he forced the King of the Soul Society to his knees the two would reign for all eternity.

He had started to think that his Queen would never be found and that her throne would remain forever empty. And though he showed little emotion, Aizen could feel his heart racing with pure excitement within his chest.

She was alive.

For decades he had thought her deceased. Kazumi's suicide attempt, which ended with her supposed death, had torn his heart out thus leaving him functioning on nothing but synthetic heart beats. The smile that he had worn upon his handsome face when parading around as the Captain of the Fifth Division was nothing more than an illusion as her death had tormented him to where his soul had come close to crumbling. Then the truth was revealed half a century later that she had survived her suicide attempt and was supposedly living within the human world.

Sōsuke had not wanted her death to be an outcome of his experiments with Hollowfacation. His plan had been that once Shinji Hirako had been disposed of that, in her grief, Kazumi would come to him for comfort and, over time, would fall in love with him once he showed her that he was worthy of her by becoming a Captain.

All of this, everything, was for her.

"Master?"

Ulquiorra's lyrically eerie and exotic voice brought Aizen from the haunting memories of his past and the beautiful face that was once his beloved. With a deep breath blown past his lips, the psychopath shifted his tight body upon the thick stone chair he had been lounging upon. He placed both of his deadly hands to the rounded ends of the throne's arms with fingers caressing over the cool stone. "I have a task that I would like for you to see to personally," he said.

Ulquiorra's reptilian like eyes, the color of emeralds, narrowed curiously. "Of course. What are your orders, Sire?" he asked vacantly.

"More to the point,' said Sōsuke in correct, 'I have a task for your eyes."

The eyes he spoke of seemed to brighten for a moment before returning to a blank and uncaring stare. "I await your command, Lord Aizen," said Ulquiorra with a slight bow of his thin body.

"Good. Now listen..."

"**D**amn it! I'm stuck again." Juliana's cheerful yet pitiful laugh danced from her pouting lips. She was grumbling and cursing as she pulled at the two fingers she had managed to get lodged within a pink and blue Chinese finger-trap that she had purchased at the museum's small gift shop.

She, Dai, and Shinji had finished their tour of the new exhibit and were now seated at a table in the museum's atrium café, waiting for Juliana's mother to arrive so they could have a lunch before departing to view the remainder of the museum. Dai was sitting across from the Shinji and Juliana while laughing softly as her cousin tried desperately to detach her fingers from the child's toy.

Shinji rolled his eyes, quite a few times, as he attempted to pry Juliana's fingers from the device for the third time. After the second time he threatened to take it away and the moment he turned his attention there went her fingers right back in the trap. "Give it here," he muttered, reaching for Juliana's hands as he twisted about to face her.

With a pitiful smile upon her lips, Juliana offered her hands to him. He was glaring at her with amusement glimmering within his pale brown eyes, and the expression bubbled a timid chuckle about within her throat. Gently and carefully, he maneuvered her fingers within the trap of colorful paper till one digit popped out.

"I should take this away from you,' he told her, 'before you hurt yourself."

"It's just a toy." Juliana chuckled, wincing as Shinji pulled her other finger from the trap.

"A toy you've gotten your fingers stuck in twice already. This makes three times." He tried to sound all serious but, in the end, smirked at her and tapped the toy to her nose before slipping it into the breast pocket of his shirt. "There. That should keep your fingers safe."

"I think that damn thing gave me a paper cut," she grumbled, pouting as she examined one of her fingers.

Across from them, Dai leaned forwards to see the cut Juliana was speaking of; she frowned. "Want me to get you a napkin so you don't bleed all over the table?"

Shinji glanced to Dai, and she said with a shrug, "One look at blood and she's out like a light."

"Let me see." Shinji gently took her hand and brought her finger to his gaze, and Juliana scooted closer till their knees touched. There upon her finger was a tiny cut that had parted allowing a small drop of blood to swell out. When he touched her finger, he heard her suck in a breath. He looked up to see her eyes diverted to the side as the blood drop swelled enough that it dripped off her fingertip.

"Does it hurt that much?" he asked through a chuckle when she winced vocally to his prodding.

Juliana shook her head and replied with a tight whimper, "I can't stand the sight of blood."

Shinji's lips curled with a sly smirk. "You'll live," he told her as he brushed the drop of blood away with an extra napkin. "It's just one little drop."

Juliana shuddered.

Shinji, with a smug look on his face, arched a brow. She looked as if the tiny paper cut was pure agony. Was she going pale? With a grin spreading his lips, he brushed a few fingers along her cheek so she would turn her eyes to him. "You're not going to faint on me again, are you?"

There went her cheeks flaming red beneath his caress. "I might," she whispered as she lifted her honey eyes to regard him with a slight smile of seductive sweetness gracing her lips.

Shinji felt his body tighten beneath her warm and luscious gaze. When she smiled to him, his heart slammed within his chest. He trailed his touch along her jaw so he could grip her chin gingerly with his long, thin fingers. Juliana's lips parted when their eyes locked. "I might just like that," Shinji said softly as he drew her towards him by his tender grip upon her chin. He felt a shiver trace beneath her skin.

"You're a cheeky bastard, Shinji Hirako," Juliana mewed, and her heart fluttered. She could feel Shinji's warm breath tickle her skin leaving tingles for her to enjoy.

He was so close.

"Yeah. Who knew?" he breathed out softly against her lips that were just inches from his.

Juliana's honey colored eyes fluttered closed and a tight breath caught within her lungs as a little whimper fell forth. She felt Shinji's other hand settle upon her outer thigh with his fingers curling against the thin material of her dress while maintaining a respectful distance by keeping the fabric of the dress between his palm and the skin of her thigh. He was so close, his lips just inches from hers.

Shinji felt a shiver race along his spine as his long fingers squeezed her thigh. Was he really about to kiss her, and in public of all places? Damn it! Her mother could show up and ruin the moment. He should stop himself. Kissing her with the amount of passion simmering within him was not acceptable in such a situation, and certainly would be considered a kiss in the wrong place in the wrong time. The kiss he was wanting to execute was a kiss of passion that should be retained till the right moment, a moment of sensuality and pleasure.

But something did stop Shinji from kissing her. A cold sensation ran through his body like blades of ice, dragging down his spine with cold scratches. An overwhelming sensation of being watched settled upon Shinji, so he turned his gaze to the room but there was no way he could locate the source of the uneasy sensation with the crowd of people milling about the atrium café. Then it struck him - Spiritual Pressure. However, what he felt was not normal Spiritual Pressure. The sensation was unsettling and shifted like a rat scouring beneath his flesh. Was the source a Hallow? Possibly, for it felt close to being a Hallow yet also resembled the Spiritual Pressure and Energy of a Soul Reaper.

The kiss never came.

Why did he suddenly stop?

Opening her eyes, Juliana noticed that Shinji had leaned away from her and was now looking intently off to the right with intensely narrowed eyes. Out of building curiosity, she followed the line of his sigh only to see that he was staring in the direction of a dark hallway marked off for employees only. When she looked back to him, she shuddered. The look upon his face hand changed. His eyes were so hard, so cold and his lips were pressed thin. There was a powerful expression of concentration shadowing his handsome features that Juliana felt unease overwhelm her - fright. The look spooked her.

"Shinji?" she asked, gently touching a hand to his chest.

Something - there was something within the shadows of that hallway that was trying to hide from him. He could feel a deadly, unnatural presence looming about within the darkness. Suddenly, the identity of the presence became clear and a touch of panic caused his heart to flip-flop within his chest. This panic was not panic of being afraid but panic in the fact that he realized that the 'something' looming in the darkness was a creature harboring murderous power.

Arrancar!

By instinct, he reached out for Juliana and drew her against him, his arms tightening about her shoulders in a protective embrace. He didn't look to her as he muttered harshly in her ear, "Don't move." He slid his eyes to Dai who had also noticed the change in his behavior and was now staring intently in the direction of the hallway. Did she feel the Spiritual Pressure as well?

There was a deep tone in Shinji's voice that frightened Juliana. The way he clutched her to him was overly protective and, given their location, a bit odd. Shinji's sudden change in mood was very peculiar. His body was stiff against her and she could feel the muscles within his slender frame coiling and pulsating as if waiting to be ordered into action.

"You're scaring me," she whispered softly and pressed herself closer, curling her fingers into his shirt. Her stomach twisted as a heavy weight suddenly pushed down upon her. The sensation was the same heavy oppression she had felt the other day before she had fainted. "Not again," she whimpered with her eyes pressing closed.

Hearing her whimper and feeling her body tremble and press tighter to him affirmed to Shinji that Juliana had felt the despotic Spiritual Pressure reaching out to them. "Look away," Shinji whispered as his arms tightened even more about her frame. Juliana whimpered. Then he saw it, a flash of reptilian eyes within the depths of the hallway that brought a deep and dangerous growl from within his throat.

Shinji's eyes narrowed dangerously. Every inch of his flesh prickled with agitation at the dark vibes that came seeping out from the depths of the hallway. He held onto Juliana as tightly as he could as he stared hard at those eyes. They were animalistic and held the gaze of a true predator. Worse of all, the emerald eyes had locked onto him and Juliana, intently watching every move they made.

Shifting cautiously, Shinji eased Juliana from him yet kept her secure within his embrace. She looked up to him, blinking her honey touched eyes, and he could see within them a mirror of fright. When her lips parted to speak, Shinji placed a hand over her mouth to silence her words. He said, "Listen to me. I want you to stay here with Dai. Do not move from this spot till I return. Understand me?"

Juliana's forehead creased as she knitted her brows together. Without a second thought, she nodded, and only then did he remove his hand from her mouth and stood from the bench. She reached out to take his arm causing Shinji to look down to her, frowning as he saw worry flittering about within her eyes. "Don't worry about me," he told her with a half-smile settling upon his lips. "I'll be right back."

"Don't lie to me, Shinji."

Shinji gave her a confident nod and replied with a thin yet encouraging voice, "I never lie."

"I can feel it," Juliana whispered, her eyes shifting from him to the hallway across the café. "Whatever it is, I can feel it. I don't like." She looked back to him as a wave of unease twisted in her stomach creating a ball of sickness. "What is it, Shinji?"

Shaking his head, he reached out to cup her cheek. "I don't know, but I'm going to go find out. Do what I say and stay here." His lips drew back to expose a toothy scowl as he slowly let the pad of his calloused thumb skim along her lower lip. "I'll be back. I promise," he told her with a confident gaze.

Juliana whimpered as Shinji walked away leaving her held upon his words of promise. She frowned then curled in on herself while watching him disappear into the crowd. If Shinji was concerned, he didn't show an ounce of fear. Sitting back, she glanced to her cousin. Dai was staring at her, a reflection of her own discomfort showing upon her face. "You sense it too, don't you?" she asked quietly.

Dai nodded then inquired as she jerked her chin in the direction Shinji disappeared, "Where's he going?"

"I don't know," answered Juliana as she ran her tongue over her dry lips. It seemed that no other person within the noisy café had noticed the unsettling vibe that the three had felt. How could they not feel the overwhelming sense of depression? Sighing, Juliana averted her eyes to her teacup and played with the string of the teabag.

Shinji was on a mission.

If the source of the Spiritual Pressure was an Arrancar, then where was the resident Soul Reaper? Surely Ichigo would have felt this imposing presence by now. Then again, Ichigo is Ichigo. The kid better not be sitting on his ass. The presence of an Arrancar should bring not only Ichigo but any Soul Reaper within the area, so why was a Soul Reaper not present already? Shinji knew that there was a handful of Soul Reapers running amuck around the town since Aizen was inching closer to stepping over the border. He knew that one Soul Reaper was Tōshirō Hitsugaya, the boy genius Captain of Squad Ten. Along with that prodigy, and his Lieutenant, there were a couple of members from Squad Eleven moving about in the shadows. With those battle thirsty lunatics prowling around the city there was no reason this Arrancar should still be standing.

There came another flash of emerald eyes from within the shadows causing Shinji to growl. He quickened his pace and stuffed his hands into his pockets. He even shoved some innocent person out of his way. Shinji couldn't help but wonder what an Arrancar was doing here, at the museum, of all places. Arrancar were rare and few between considering they were personal pets of Sōsuke Aizen. Why couldn't the guy get a poodle or a hamster like a normal person? No. The bastard had to bring to life an entire army of Arrancar freaks.

Was it after Juliana?

The question unexpectedly slammed Shinji hard in the back of his mind. Could she be the reason why it was here? A glance was quickly tossed over his shoulder to where Juliana was seated, right where he told her to stay. After what he witnessed the other day with the Hallow, the probability that the Arrancar was here for Juliana wasn't too farfetched. After all, it seemed that the Hallow had focused its attention upon her and not the powerful Visored that would have made a much better snack. If this Arrancar was after Juliana, it would be in for the fight of its pitiful life.

From within the shadows, Ulquiorra narrowed his eyes upon the woman he had been ordered to watch and the man who was seated with her. Ulquiorra watched the scene play out before him with an air of indifference while he recorded everything he saw. Due to the Espada's unique ability to 'record' everything that he witnessed within his left eye, there was no question as to why Sōsuke Aizen assigned him this important task.

He had appeared within the hallway through a garganta, a portal that allowed him and other Arrancar and Hollows to pass through the realms, in order to locate the target of his mission exactly where she was said to be. However, Ulquiorra wasn't expecting a Soul Reaper to be with her. Then again, the male was not a typical Soul Reaper. No, there were traces of Hollow in his Spiritual Presence that caught a small amount of Ulquiorra's attention.

Ulquiorra's eyes darkened when the Soul Reaper glanced in his direction. Their eyes locked; he was sure the man had noticed him. The Espada had been noticed, and it was not long till the Soul Reaper had stood and was moving in his direction. Ulquiorra took a step back allowing the darkness he created to embrace him. As the Soul Reaper gained ground across the café, Ulquiorra decided that he had enough information to satisfy Lord Aizen's curiosity so, with a wave of his right hand, called forth another garganta then stepped within allowing the rift to close behind him.

As fast as the Arrancar's Spiritual Pressure appeared, it disappeared. The Arrancar was gone. Shinji stopped at the opening of the hallway, staring into the darkness, to see nothing but empty darkness. With a glance over his shoulder, he looked in Juliana's direction and caught her gaze. She still appeared worried yet offered him a smile, as weak as it was. With a sigh, he turned back towards the table, and that's when his phone rang.

"Yeah? What is it?" he asked after he flipped the phone open to put it to his right ear.

"_Where are you?"_ On the other end of the line was Ichigo Kurosaki's greatly annoyed voice. _"You were supposed to meet me to train, you idiot, but you're not here!"_

Shinji winced to the howling voice bellowing in his ear. "You're right. I'm not there, obviously, so stop bitching in my ear," he hissed dangerously. This wasn't the time to have a battle of words with the stubborn Substitute Soul Reaper, especially with a quick visit from an Arrancar still looming over him.

"_What's that supposed to mean?"_ Ichigo's howled. _"You told me yesterday that you would be here!" _

Shinji rolled his eyes. He had no want to talk to Ichigo at the moment. "Look,' he muttered, lifting his eyes to Juliana, 'I want you to do me a favor."

"_Why should I do you a favor when you can't even keep your word to me?" _

"What I am going to ask you is important, Ichigo." Shinji sighed as he glanced back to the hall. "I'm at the museum with Juliana. An Arrancar showed up."

He heard Ichigo release a breath on the other end of the phone, and when Ichigo began to speak, he was completely serious. "_Arrancar? Are you serious? I didn't…"_

"I'll tell you everything later, Ichigo, but right now I want you to get ahold of the other Soul Reapers in the city. I need you to find out if the Seireitei has been in contact with them today. This Arrancar was in the museum, hiding out in a hallway and watching Juliana. It came in fast and left just as quickly. I haven't seen any of the Soul Reapers I know to be in the city, which means that the Soul Society might not have registered the Arrancar's visit just yet."

"_What would an Arrancar be doing in the museum? I didn't think spying on girls was on Aizen's list of activities."_

"I honestly don't know why the Arrancar was paying attention to Juliana."

"_There has to be a reason."_

"Of course there's a reason, and that's why I want you to contact your friends and find out if anybody else noticed its presence." Shaking his head, Shinji turned around to complete his walk back to the table. "I'll catch up to you later." With that, he flipped the phone closed as he made his way back to the table.

When he got back to the table, Juliana asked, "Is everything alright? I don't feel that frightening sensation any longer."

He told her, moving up behind her where he sat down to straddle the bench, "Everything's fine." He casually slid his arms about her torso.

Juliana frowned and glanced back to him as he scooted forwards till his chest was pressed against her back. She settled against him with a soft, breathy sigh. Everything was not fine. She could see fading shadows of trouble within his pale brown eyes.

"Everything's alright," he said again in hopes of reassuring her. Shinji placed his sharp chin to her right shoulder and pressed his lips to her neck.

When she felt the hard, slim form of Shinji's body press against her, Juliana melted into him. She sighed, closed her eyes, and let the panic she had felt vanish when he kissed her neck.

"What was that?"

Shinji and Juliana glanced to Dai who had asked the question. Juliana shrugged, and Shinji scowled with a low snarl. "You felt it as well?"

Dai nodded then glanced towards the hallway. "I've never felt anything as cold and frightening as that before. I can't even begin to explain what 'that' was."

Juliana looked back to Shinji.

"I don't know," he told both of the women and with a deeply troubled sigh. "Don't worry. Whatever it was that was causing that oppressive sensation has gone."

"Shinji? Can we leave this area? I don't feel…right."

Frowning, Shinji gave a nod to Juliana then released her from his hold so he could stand and offer her his hand. "Sure. We can go wherever you want."

"There's a waterfall display in the back garden of the museum," said Juliana as she began to gather her belongings. She looked to Dai and gave a smile. "Do you mind if we go to another exhibit, Dai?"

Dai smiled and shook her head. "No. I'll wait here for your mother to return, then we'll meet you in the garden."

"Thank you."

"Don't mention it." As Juliana went off to dispose of her empty plate and teacup, Dai looked to Shinji and leveled him with a serious gaze. "I don't know who you are,' she began to say, 'but I have a feeling that I can trust you." She pointed a finger towards him and muttered, "Take care of her. She means a lot to me."

Shinji returned Dai's intense and pointed gaze with one of his own. He nodded curtly and replied passionately, "I have a feeling that she means a lot to me as well. I won't let anything harm her."

"Good. Now get going. Go seduce her or something," Dai told him before turning her gaze to her phone and a text message that came.

Smirking, Shinji turned away from the table and walked off to meet Juliana. The moment he fell beneath her warm and inviting smile was the moment he felt his heart lighten within his chest. She was offering him her hand, and when he laced his fingers with hers, a surge of familiarity coursed through him when she flashed a double wink to him. Smiling, he squeezed her hand and the two departed the café.

27


	4. Dreams

Honey Eyes A Bleach Fanfiction S . Lazic

Dreams

"**S**how me."

Sōsuke Aizen's voice sounded controlled with his customary composure. There was no mistaking the fact, however, that he had been waiting for Ulquiorra to return to Las Noches as there was a slight waver of anticipation to his Spiritual Pressure. The Cuatro Espada had returned as ordered and was quietly walking into Aizen's audience chamber where he came to stand before the massive stone throne where the Soul Reaper sat in relaxed pride.

"Of course, Lord Aizen," replied Ulquiorra with a nod of his head.

He stepped closer when his Lord beckoned him to do so with a curl of a finger, and when he was close enough to the tall slab of stone, he lifted a hand over his left eye, curled his fingers, and pulled the orb right from its socket. There was no blood that seeped from the vacant wound or any sign of trauma from the socket the removed eyeball had once rested within. In fact, there was no scream of pain from the Espada; there was no sign of distress at all. Ulquiorra stood perfectly still as he raised his arm out before him and opened his palm where the removed eyeball rested comfortably.

He was eerily calm as he closed his lean, greyish fingers about the round object to crush it with simple ease. The orb, as any part of his exterior body, would regenerate. From between his thin fingers slid what looked to be ash, and that ash began to lift, swirling and reforming into a thick cloud. Within the cloud of ash the events that had been recorded by his vision at the museum began to replay in the form of a weaving image.

A low and dangerous snarl pressed against Aizen's thinning lips, threatening to spill forth. Anger. Rage. Those two emotions stabbed hard at the man's gut as he quietly watched the scene play out before him. There, before his eyes, he saw none other than Shinji Hirako sitting with the young woman he knew to be Kazumi - his Kazumi. His lips curled in to a dangerous snarl, threatening to express a rare showing of negative emotion. Aizen's fingers curled to the arms of his stone chair with such intensity and strength that the stone fractured and his knuckles turned ghostly white. He tried to keep calm and composed, but to do so was nearly impossible as he observed the interaction between the one man he loathed and the one woman he desired. The rampant beating of his heart quickened till he could hear his blood running hot through his veins.

Before his eyes he saw her, an altered form of _his_ Kazumi, within the embrace of Shinji Hirako. To see Shinji with his arms about her in such a familiar and intimate embrace had Aizen grinding his jaws, and she was smiling at the bastard! He saw the expression of pleasure dancing within her honey eyes whenever she looked to Shinji, and he saw her smile to Shinji with the same smile she had given Sōsuke many times when they had spoken freely upon the grounds of his old squad barracks. Her smile was _his_ smile. It was her smile that had won him over and that had brought all of his actions to unfurl. He had done everything in his career for her smile - _everything_.

"Leave me," commanded Sōsuke with a venomous hiss to his voice as he tried hard to fight the sting of betrayal that was flooding through his heart. Blood began to well between his fingers and the stone as the strength of his grip caused a section of the structure to splinter and cut the soft flesh of his palm.

Ulquiorra never questioned an order, so he gave a nod of his head then began to recollect the ash of his crumbled eye within his palm, reforming his eye that he then replaced within the socket. He gave a respectful bow before turning to walk calmly and quietly from the room. He left Aizen trying desperately to take hold of his raising emotions, his building anger.

Once alone, Sōsuke released s slight showing of his emotions; his lips parted in a snarl and his handsome features twisted in to a look of murderous rage. He did this to her, that Shinji Hirako! That man was purposefully turning Kazumi against him, again! Shinji was tainting her beautiful mind, twisting her thoughts and memories in order to turn her against him by the use of perverted lies. Sōsuke _never_ felt fear, _never _felt worry or concern, yet, at this moment, he was feeling dread and apprehension in his inability to know what Shinji had been telling Kazumi.

Sōsuke wanted him dead. Too many times Shinji had slipped through the grip of cold death to sneak away to survive, but not this time. Now that Shinji's presence had been discovered, Aizen could handle him correctly and finally put an end to the proverbial thorn in his side. He wanted to see Shinji Hirako's blood seeping down the blade of his Kyoka Suigetsu as he plunged the deadly Zanpakutou over and over and over through the man's thin heart. Aizen should have killed Shinji a century ago when he had the chance.

He should have taken Kazumi as his, claimed her rightfully, centuries ago before Shinji could set eyes upon her.

If he had…

Sōsuke breathed out a dry sigh and closed his warm brown eyes in order to center himself. Within the privacy of his throne room, he would allow himself his personal fantasies. He had never given up hope that Kazumi would resurface, hoping that she had been reincarnated in a new body - as a human and free from the control of the Seireitei. There had been times, however, when he thought he had failed her by letting her slip through his grasp. He had wanted to search for her in the World of the Living but the Head Captain and Central Forty-Six had refused to give him permission. The entire situation had turned into a nightmare when the Head Captain had listed her as a traitor along with Shinji and the other Captains and Lieutenants, forbidding her name from even being spoken. Unable to save her, Sōsuke was left with the faintest of hopes that Kisuke Urahara had taken Kazumi with him.

…and he had.

A sly, naturally seductive grin teased his handsome mouth as, finally, his simmering emotions settled. Aizen's body relaxed against the hard stone as his features softened once again to smooth lines as a pleasing thought caressed his mind with a lovers touch. The Head Captain would suffer for blocking Sōsuke from searching for Kazumi over a century ago. The old man would face Sōsuke's unbridled wrath. Still, there remained the question of how to proceed. How was Sōsuke to retrieve Kazumi now that she had fallen into the arms of Shinji Hirako? He had to devise a plan quickly and act without drawing attention to himself. Then, as a devious smile replaced the grin upon his lips, the answer came to him.

"Szayel!" he called out in a voice that echoed off the dense silence that wrapped the wide room.

In a second, if not two seconds, the Octava Espada appeared before him, his body bent at the waist and his short pink hair tickling along his cheeks. "You called for me, Sire?"

Aizen narrowed his eyes upon the Arrancar known as Szayelaporro Granz as he leaned back in his chair, taking his typical position of a cheek resting to a set of raised, curled fingers. "Is it ready?"

Szayel straightened his body, grinning as he crossed one arm across his front while raising the other to press two white gloved fingers against the arch of his 'mask', a frame of glasses. He asked in his typical cocky tone of voice, "May I ask what you intend to use my serum for, Lord Aizen?"

Aizen's body didn't appear to move yet suddenly he appeared before his eighth Espada. "Is it ready? I will not ask again."

A slight smirk touched the scientists' impossibly handsome features. "It is."

"Good. Are there any side-effects that you have noted for use on humans?"

"Side-effects?" Szayel tipped his head to the side as if the question was confusing. "Should there not be side-effects?" The dangerous shadow creeping across the Soul Reaper's eyes brought an amused chuckle from the Arrancar. He waved a gloved hand before him, sweeping fingers through a few locks of pink. "Of course there are no dangerous or deadly side-effects, my Lord. Though, knowing exactly what you intend to use this serum for would help in reducing the possibility of side-effects arising. After all, the serum is intended to work differently on diverse types of subjects."

"The use would be for a human, Szayel, so there are to be no side-effects. None of your games. Do I make myself clear?"

His games? A slight frown dared show upon Szayel's lips as if Sōsuke had taken away the lot of his entertainment. So not to tempt the Soul Reaper's anger, he offered another bow and conceded to the request. "It shall be as you declare, Lord Aizen."

"You have three hours."

Szayel's features scrunched. Three hours was not much time, but he would get the job done. "Of course."

"You may go."

Szayel disappeared.

His mind began to contort with plans on how to lure Kazumi to his hold. He could simply take her; after all, she was rightfully his. Then again, doing so was not his style. He wanted her complacent and frightened, an empty mental slate in which to meld to his needs. Szayel's serum would be the easiest solution, once proven to be harmless to Kazumi. Once her memories begin to unlock, he would make his next move and draw her to him. The question remained, how?

How was he to draw her attention while, at the same time, enjoying throwing a proverbial wrench into Shinji Hirako's life - again? There had to be a way. The answer came to him, and upon his lips formed a wickedly handsome smile of devious thoughts. The other human, the one referred to as Dai, would be the bait upon his hook. It was obvious from their interaction that, not only was the girl Kazumi's supposed cousin, she was spiritually aware and had taken notice of Ulquiorra's presence in the café.

"Grimmjow," he spoke quietly and to the vacant room.

Before Sōsuke could take his next breath, the Sexta Espada appeared. Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez, with his typical scowl upon his mouth, stared to the so called Lord of Heuco Mundo with a hard glare then proceeded to walk closer to the stone throne. "What is it you want?" he inquired with a lack of formality.

Though Sōsuke typically commanded, and earned, respect from those who followed him, Grimmjow continued to ignore the courteous request for politeness. "I have a job for you," said Sōsuke.

"Yeah? What is it?"

"You are to go to Karakura Town and retrieve a guest for me."

"A guest?" asked Grimmjow with a snarl upon his lips. Since when had he become an errand boy?

"Yes. You are to bring to me a young human woman by the name of Dai Stanford, and do so without causing her physical harm." Hearing Grimmjow's disgruntled growl curled a rare smile upon Sōsuke's lips. He chuckled softly and stated, "Frighten her if you wish, but do not kill her. She is to be brought to me alive. Do you understand me, Grimmjow?"

The Sixth Espada flashed a shine of his teeth in a show of acceptance, and intrigue. "Yeah, I understand."

"Good. Go."

Without a word, Grimmjow's form vanished.

Only when Aizen was alone did a smile grace his lips. His brown eyes glistened with deviousness as his conniving thoughts swelled within his mind. Nothing - no person or order - would keep him from Kazumi's reborn soul. He would have her and have, also, the pleasure of destroying Shinji Hirako once and for all.

"**I** hope you didn't mind the museum," Juliana said to Shinji once they had left the museum later in the day. "I'm sure seeing the exhibits wasn't your idea of an exciting day."

Shinji shrugged his thin shoulders and cast her a playful smile. "Granted, I'm not one for museums as anything education makes me itch but spending time with you was worth itching for the rest of the day."

Juliana laughed softly and nudged him. "You're not going to break out in hives, are you?"

"It's been known to happen."

Laughing, Juliana rolled her eyes. "And here I was thinking you were the type of typical guy who likes manly sports that involve bloodshed, sharp weapons, and physical contact that breaks bones."

Shinji chuckled as he tossed an arm about her shoulders, drawing her against his thin side. "I'm a sophisticated type of guy, babe. I can handle a museum, especially if there's violence and gore tossed in as a side-show."

Juliana laughed brightly as she gave him a shove. "We must have missed that wing of the museum."

They laughed as they strolled away from the museum's entry, yet she sighed through her laughter and frowned delicately as if she still didn't believe him. Did she really worry that much? Just as she took a step forwards, he stopped and pulled her back with enough force that she stumbled against him. She gave a little squeak as their bodies collided, and when she looked up in surprise to the move, he grinned.

"I didn't complain, did I?" he asked softly as he took hold of her other hand and, with her hands in his, guided her arms around to her back so she stood caught within his embrace.

A deep, rosy blush burned across her cheeks when Juliana found herself locked against his lean body. That grin of his had her heart skipping happily within her chest. It was true. Not once did he complain - well, only one time. "You did complain once, remember? You complained when I kept getting my fingers stuck in that trap."

Shinji chuckled and asked, "You want it back?"

She shook her head. "No. I'll just get my whole hand stuck in it next time. Be honest with me, tell me you at least liked something from today."

Shinji's grin softened, and he took a breath then replied, "I'll always be honest with you. There was one thing that stood out from everything."

"Oh?" She raised her chin and tipped her head to the side. "What was that?"

Leaning closer, Shinji skimmed one of his cheeks along hers. He whispered softly to her ear as a fall of chestnut tickled the tip of his nose, "You."

The word rushed through Juliana like a wildfire, spreading heat through every fiber of her being till she could feel the warm flames swimming within her soul. Her heart stopped as she turned her head ever so slightly so their eyes locked and their lips were but an inch apart.

Was he going to kiss her again?

'_Oh please, kiss me…'_

"Well, girls, why don't we get going? I need to go by the market before we head on home," called Emily as she and Dai stepped up to the two. "Say goodbye to your friend, Juliana. Come along, Dai." Though Dai dragged her feet, peeking back to Juliana and Shinji, she followed after Emily as they began to walk away from the museum.

Juliana hung her head and breathed out a heavy sigh of annoyance as Shinji leaned away and turned his attention away from her to her mother. She didn't want to leave, at least, not without him. She decided that she wasn't going to move. In fact, her mother was just going to have to leave her where she stood. Grumbling under her breath, she stared down to the pavement with a frown upon her lips, that was, till she felt a set of fingers slip along each side of her face with digits curling into her tightly bound hair just before her features were lifted.

Didn't he tell her before not to look away from him? He loved her eyes - those honey sweetened eyes. "Hey? What's that look for?" he asked her softly upon seeing the hint of sadness tickling behind her eyes. He quizzically tipped his head as he waited for her to answer.

"Today was wonderful, Shinji," she whispered, lifting a hand to set over one of his. She nuzzled the palm of his hand and said, "Perhaps I'm being a bit selfish, but I don't want this day to end." Looking sneakily towards the side, she leaned close and whispered to him, "Quick. If you kidnap me, I'll go willingly."

Shinji's thin lips curled in to a faint smile. He watched as his thumbs traced along her jawline, one brushing along her lower lip that caused the soft petals to part and press a subtle kiss to the rough flesh of his fingertips. He was fascinated by how the soft, warm flesh parted to slowly draw skin from skin. "You can be selfish all you want," he told her with his fingers curling gently to her scalp. He felt her shiver, and the way her eyes drifted closed, her thick lashes brushing against her high cheeks, tightened a knot within his stomach. He sighed as he leaned to rest his forehead against hers as his eyes drifted closed. He didn't want this day to end either.

"Kiss me."

"What?" She asked in a soft whisper as her eyes drew open with a shadow of disbelief to what she thought she heard him say.

"Never mind. I'll kiss you."

Before she could question him, Shinji tightened his fingers within her hair and drew her parted lips to his. He kissed her heatedly, so much so that he felt Juliana's entire body weaken against him. She gasped as they both drew in a lungful of air to hold beneath the burning embrace. His mouth sought hers with intent to claim dominance, and as his lips commanded hers, Shinji's entire body raced with trembles upon hearing her moan.

The kiss made Juliana's mind go completely blank, not a thought twisted within. She only felt his kiss and the sensation of his hard body against her. The want to be closer to Shinji, to kiss him even harder, consumed Juliana till her mind was embraced by fuzzy warmth. This kiss was different from the other that they had shared. This kiss burned its way down to her soul, and the feeling of the warm wetness of his tongue tickling her bottom lip brought a soft and throaty whimper from her. The heated whimper turned to a sweet groan as she felt Shinji's tongue sweep into her mouth, teasing hers with an erotic dance.

Without a second thought as to what was happening, Juliana found herself kissing him back, and with equal passion. Her palms pressed against his chest then skimmed her fingers along the soft material of his jet black shirt. Her arms went about his thin shoulders, wrapping tightly as locks of his golden hair were captured by her fingers. With another sweet moan, she slanted her supple mouth against his and deepened the sensual embrace.

Now that, her submission with the kiss, Shinji liked. He released his grip within her hair so that his arms could wrap about her slender form and pull her flush against him. He drank in her moans, and he trembled as her body arched and pushed eagerly against him. This was a lover's embrace, an embrace so hot - so wanting - and so needy that both quavered against one another. He spread his hands along her body, one trailing down the arch of her spine while the other hand clawed fingers against the center of her shoulders blades. Fire - hot, rampaging flames snapped and coiled wildly within Shinji's body, all spurred on by the intensity of their embrace.

Juliana quivered against him, and he loved the feeling of her trembles. If there was a way of holding her tighter, he would have, but he could not. So Shinji contented himself with the sensation of her mouth moving against his in gentle presses. Damn, she felt wonderful against him, embracing him.

"Juliana!"

A low, dangerous growl threatened to interrupt the kiss when Shinji heard Emily's high pitched bark. Slowly, achingly slowly, Shinji ended the kiss leaving Juliana whimpering. In an attempt to prolong the kiss, she touched her lips to his a few times before he had to set her back. As painful as that single act was, he had to do it. Damn it, he had to because, if he didn't break the kiss, Emily would. If anybody was going to end his romantic moment, it would be him.

He didn't end the embrace just yet - no - he wouldn't allow a kiss like this, a kiss that held every pent up ounce of passion he had within it, to come to such an abrupt end. He held Juliana against him and, with one hand slipping up into her braid, guided her head against his shoulder to tuck her close to him. His eyes closed as he drew in her luscious scent of vanilla and spice. This moment felt so right, so natural to him.

Could it be that this young woman, this human, held the reincarnated soul of Kazumi? After a century of mourning her loss, Shinji had come to terms that she was lost to him; conversely, this woman looked and felt and sounded like Kazumi. Could Kazumi have died in the Soul Society only to be reborn as a human? Was that even possible? The possibility both excited and frightened Shinji to the core of his soul. If such could be true, that the woman he now held was Kazumi reborn, then he would never let her go.

Never again would he abandon the one he claimed to have loved and lost.

Never again.

"**I**s it ready?"

Szayelaporro Granz raised his golden-brown eyes towards the voice that spoke. Twisting about within his white desk-chair, the self-proclaimed 'scientist' grinned upon seeing Sōsuke Aizen standing in the center of one of his massive laboratories. "Is it ready?" repeated Szayel as he stood and swept his thin arms out about him. "Of course it is ready!" From seemingly out of thin air, he produced a vile containing a thick gel-like substance.

Sōsuke eyed the bottle without a hint of approval. "There are no side-effects?"

"As far as I know." Szayel nodded as he stepped forwards with the vile held out in his gloved fingertips in offering. When he saw a slender brow kick up in question upon Lord Aizen's forehead, he quickly went on to say in affirmation, "Do not worry, my Lord. I tested the product on as many test subjects as I could gather."

"You used my Arrancar as test subjects without my permission? Did we not speak on this continual abuse of your authority already, Szayel?"

Unable to hold back his widening grin, the scientist gave a respectful bow. "I did, and we have."

"Szayel…"

"I understand your displeasure, Sire, but in order to prove that this serum will not be harmful I had to test the product."

Sōsuke eyed the scientist with a heavy scowl threatening to pull down his lips. "Did I not say that this serum was to be made safe for human use? How is testing the side-effects on Arrancar to prove to me it is safe?"

Szayel sulked before smiling rather sarcastically. "I can assure you that the end result is exactly what you desired."

"How so?"

"None of the test subjects perished! Though, a few may have some minor injuries."

"Minor?" Sōsuke took the small vile full of pale pink liquid and held it up before his brown eyes for inspection. "You just told me that there were no side-effects."

"That is true,' confirmed the Espada as he laced his gloved hands at his thin back, 'but, unfortunately, a few had to be restrained in order to progress with the testing and in the process harmed themselves, sadly. I told them they would not be hurt, but they did not believe me. Can you believe that?"

Sōsuke slid his intense gaze to the Arrancar. "Your reputation of cruel experimentation proceeds you."

"Point well taken," chortled the thin Arrancar.

"Now, provide me proof that this serum will not harm a human."

"May I inquire as to why you wish the serum to be safe for human use?"

"No, you may not."

Clearing his voice, Szayel pointed to the vile. "May I explain to you the use of this product, Sire?"

Sōsuke nodded and so the scientist continued to speak, "All that must be done is quite simple. Only a small amount of this liquid must be ingested by the target in order for the serum to spread through the individual's body to reach the brain. When it does, it will target the memory cells of the subject, unlocking any memory contained within that person, even the memories of a soul's past life. Of course, the individual's previous life memories will be easier to unlock than those from centuries past."

"I see. How many memories will be released at once?"

"How many memories will be accessed at one time is unknown, but my studies concluded that only a handful of memories will be accessible within the first twenty-four to forty-eight hours. After that, I would conclude that the amount would be based upon the individual's power of memory."

"Have you noted any suffering during this process?"

Szayel narrowed his eyes from behind the frame of his mask to regard his Lord with a cautious gaze. "Would the suffering of the individual be pertinent to this experiment?"

"Vital."

Vital? A subtle frown gracefully touched Szayel's lips as he pondered the single worded statement.

"How is this to be administered?"

"As I indicated, it must be ingested. The fasted means of doing so is through the mouth as the lining of the mouth is thin and can absorb the serum quickly. My tests have indicated that the serum can be injected but it takes a little longer to progress through the blood stream."

Sōsuke turned the vile within his deadly, yet oddly gentle, fingertips; the liquid within did not move. "How long is the lifespan of the serum?"

Szayel shrugged his thin shoulders then draped one arm across his stomach and raised the other to tap fingers to the rim of his mask, the oddly shaped glasses set across his handsome face. "Well, now that answer I cannot give you, my Lord. I would say, based upon the power of memory within each individual, the serum could last from anywhere to a day to months to a full year or longer."

"Could the serum continue to work indefinitely?"

"Indefinitely?" asked Szayel with a look of revelation to his face. "Would you want it to?"

The Soul Reaper narrowed his eyes and Szayel was reminded by that sharp glance that some questions of curiosity and demand were not meant to be asked of Sōsuke Aizen. What the man wanted, the man obtained and by any means necessary. "I suppose so," Szayel said with a questionable tone to his voice. "However, I would need to perform a few more tests on some more…living subjects."

"Human subjects?"

"To be correct, yes. Hollows and Arrancars do not have the memories capable of being accessed. We Spirit Beings do not contain the memories of our past lives. Now, if you bring me a human…"

"Could this serum work on a Soul Reaper?"

Szayel's brows knitted together and his features pulled back in a look of deep contemplation. "I'm not sure if I understood your question."

"The tests you performed on your fellow Arrancar have indicated that the serum is safe to use on other Spirit Beings; however, from what you are telling me, the duration of the serum's lifespan and its effects would be different if administered to a human."

Szayel nodded. "That is correct. I would need to perform more specific test if you are wishing to use this serum on a human."

"Do so, and quickly." Sōsuke handed the vile back to Szayel.

When Lord Aizen turned to leave, moving gracefully, Szayel dared to ask, "May I inquire as to why you are curious of the use of this serum and humans?"

Sōsuke did not bother to stop, nor did he look back to answer the Espada in any way. In his silence, he departed the laboratory. Szayel's face fell in a look of curious displeasure. "Well, that was interesting," he muttered before throwing up his arms in defeat. "I spend countless hours developing a serum to unlock memories, at that man's request, and he refuses to even allow me a moment to gloat!"

Leveling his eyes at the door that was now closed, he muttered under his breath, "Just what are you up to, Sōsuke Aizen?"

"**M**um! I'm taking Biscuit out for his evening walk!" called Juliana throughout the large house as she struggled with putting on Biscuit's leash. Biscuit, the family's nine year old English setter, could hardly contain his excitement. Evening walks were his favorite activity. "Hold still, Biscuit," she growled while trying to snap on the retractable leash.

"Be careful, Juli! Don't let Biscuit off the leash. That stray mutt is still in the area."

The warning from Ryu, Juliana's father, brought a heavy scowl to settle on Juliana's face. Somehow, a stray and unneutered male dog was having a go at the neighborhood, picking fights with other dogs whenever possible. A little boy was hurt the previous week when the stray dog attacked the boy's little yorky. Luckily neither the boy nor his dog were hurt too badly, but the neighborhood complained with the city as to the control of the stray. According to the neighborhood safety committee, the local animal control was still on the lookout for the stray.

"I'll be careful," she called back once the leash was on and she had opened the front door. "We won't go far!"

"Keep your mobile on you!" barked Ryu from within his study, further in the house.

Juliana gave a solute in his direction. "Come on, Biscuit." The two left the house with the door closing behind them.

The night air was cool and crisp with the scent of rain drifting upon the breeze. The sky overhead was dark and coated in a thick layer of dark clouds that were spreading due to a small storm that was coming into the area, scheduled to reach her part of the city by midnight. She was looking forwards to some rain as she slept like a baby to the pitter patter sounds of rain drops. Her parents teased her often that if a bomb went off during a thunderstorm she would sleep right through it, and she would - probably.

Juliana and Biscuit kept to the lit sidewalk as they wandered down her street, passing beneath the tall street lamps that shed their brightness through the darkness. As she walked, Juliana couldn't help but notice that it seemed the night was unusually dark even with the thick clouds blocking out the full moon that was behind them. A frown touched her lips as a creeping unease slowly trickled up her spine bringing along with it goose-bumps to dance her flesh.

"Let's hurry up and get home, Biscuit," she said to the happy dog as it wagged its tail upon finding another bush to sniff. "I don't know why but something is giving me the creeps." They walked another few blocks till a cold shiver swept right through Juliana, right to her soul. She stopped dead in her tracks, giving a tug upon the leash, as her body went ridged and her eyes grew wide. The air about her seemed to thicken and grow colder till her breath puffed out past her lips in a delicate swirl of heated air.

"Okay, that's enough. Let's go home." She turned about, walking a few steps till the leash went taut. "Biscuit!" she snapped out in agitation due to her building fright. "I said we're going home. Now!" Turning back around, Juliana pulled on the leash then frowned upon seeing the dog's attention focused further up the street. His body was rigid and his feathered, long tail was pointed down. At first his long ears flicked against the side of his head but then they went flat - pressed tight.

"Biscuit? What's wrong with you?" she asked, stepping up to him.

Juliana scanned the street stretched out before her but saw nothing out of the ordinary. The setter's sudden and low growl brought a new wave of distress to course through her. The beautiful white and copper setter hunched down low, hackles raised and growling once more with the thin lips of his muzzle pulling back to expose teeth.

"Biscuit? What is it, boy?" Juliana stepped back, tugging forcefully upon the taut leather leash but still he wouldn't move. Above her, the street lights flickered and a sickening heaviness fell upon her body. She froze upon feeling the familiarity to the weighted sensation. It was the same sensation she had felt at the museum and the other day before she fainted. Once again she tried, and failed, to draw the dog away.

Just as quickly as Biscuit began to growl, he hunched down further, to the point where he was laying upon the pavement, whimpering and with tail tucked. Confused and frightened, Juliana knelt next to her dog trying to sooth him with gentle strokes along his head. An echo of footsteps upon the pavement brought her honey touched eyes to rise. She looked forwards and felt a stab of fright prick her as she witnessed, from the shadowed darkness, step forth a white form. She watched, with a building twist of dread tumbling about within her stomach, a man come walking towards her.

Biscuit whimpered and slunk back over the pavement, seeking to hide himself behind her as the man began to approach. He was shaking, and his violent trembles caused the tags on his collar to clink together.

Julianna tipped her head with her eyes narrowing as if trying to see the finer details of the man. As he came into view, she took note of his unique clothes - a long white coat and maroon sash over what looked to be an ankle length split skirt. How utterly bizarre! Yet the closer he came, the easier it was for Juliana to see the man directly. He was stunningly handsome, tall and with an intense face licked by a thick lock of wavy brown hair. His eyes, the color of luscious chocolate, stared right at her, slipping against her soul with a caress that both heated her blood and frightened her to her core.

A full body shudder ran the length of her as she stood up only to discover that she was shaking. Unable to take her eyes off the stranger, she stared at him, and from deep within her came a tiny voice that screamed at her to run, to run as fast as she could and to never look back. But she couldn't. Every inch of her was locked in place. Juliana found herself petrified with fear.

He came closer, his stride purposeful yet no faster than a casual stroll. Not once did his eyes detour from hers.

Juliana couldn't stop shaking as the dread she felt tightened about her throat, choking her with a cold hand. The closer he came, the heavier her fear became. Only when Biscuit gave a yelp and bolted away did Juliana snap from her stupor. She was nearly pulled off balance when the large dog pulled away, freeing the leash from her grip so he could bound back in the direction of the house.

"Biscuit!" she cried once she stabilized herself from the pull. "Come back!"

"Kazumi."

Juliana felt her heart slam within her chest then tumble into the pit of her stomach when a voice, so sensual and so smooth, caressed her ears with a spoken name. Past her parted lips whispered a tiny whimper when the voice was heard coming from right behind her. She couldn't find the want to turn around, that's when people ended up dead in the movies, yet she couldn't deny an urge that came upon her to turn about. Gritting her teeth, Juliana slowly turned her head to the side so her eyes could slip within their slender sockets in order to look over her shoulder.

Her eyes went wide when she saw that the man was right behind her with only a few inches separating their bodies. There was no look of polite greeting upon his handsome face, not even a smile or a gentle expression shadowing his eyes. He simply stared at her with an unmoving, untouched gaze.

Gathering her strength, Juliana turned fully about to face him. Her lips pulled in to a tiny, quivering smile of pleasantry. "Pardon?" she asked in a voice that trembled with fright.

Only when she spoke did the man respond with a slight smile that pulled at the charming corners of his mouth. Gently, he raised a hand to brush the back of fingers over one of her delicate cheeks, skin upon skin. A shadow of sadness and of longing fell across his deep brown eyes as he drew back his hand with hesitation.

Unable to move and unable to speak, Juliana felt her breath tumble past her quivering lips when his touch graced her cheek. Another chill swept through her and another scream of warning cried out from within her as a cloud of dizziness teased her mind. Every fiber of her being wanted her to turn and run, yet she couldn't. She couldn't stop staring into his intense eyes.

When finally she found her voice, she said in a breathy whisper, "I know you…"

The stranger's smile reformed in to a slight grin, and in his eyes shined a reflection of approval. "Your soul will always know me, Kazumi," he said in a voice that was liquid seduction.

Heat bloomed throughout Juliana's soul, instantly melting away the tight chill that had wrapped itself about her. When he closed the distance between them, a tight whimper bubbled up within her slender throat. She could feel her head grow light and her body start to go numb. "Who are you?" she whispered.

The man leaned close, so close that Juliana could feel his warm breath tease her cheek. His voice lulled her into a false sense of security, and the seductively rich tone brought her eyes to flutter closed. "Your fate…" he told her in a controlled and pleased whisper.

When her lips parted to form a response, his mouth settled upon hers in a kiss that stole her breath away. The kiss was soft, gentle, and enticing. As chaste as it was, Juliana swore she could feel the kiss vibrate from deep within her. With a tender moan, she closed her eyes and submitted to the kiss. However, the kiss did not last long. In fact, only a few seconds had passed before their lips parted. Juliana felt the radiating heat bubbling within her be purged from her, replaced with an ominous chill, and lazily licked her lips. With the haze within her mind thickening, she didn't open her eyes till his voice purred within her ear,

"Open your eyes."

Then her eyes opened, slowly and with lashes parting. A shimmer of pale pink light danced her now glassy eyes as she stared vacantly to the man before her.

"Good," said the stranger as he caressed his fingertips along the underside of her chin. "We shall see each other again. Do not worry. Now that I have found you, I will not let you go." He then smiled and stepped away from her, departing with a respectful bow before disappearing into the darkness from which he came.

**S**ōsuke Aizen walked calmly through a nearby thicket of woods as his mind twisted and turned, replaying the recent introduction. The young woman was her - his Kazumi. He could swear upon his own soul that the woman he had found was in deed his Kazumi. She looked almost identical to Kazumi, down to the rich honey color of her eyes and luscious chestnut hair. Her voice was nearly the same as well, yet younger and more innocent.

Sōsuke drew a small piece of cloth from a pocket of his coat and wiped at his mouth, cleaning away any remaining trace of serum that lingered upon his lips. He had taken every precaution not to ingest any of the serum he placed upon his lips, yet drew upon luck that the young woman would lick her lips after their short embrace. The kiss had been the preferred ruse to make sure that enough of the serum would be introduced into her system. The colorful flash of light he had seen within her eyes was proof that the serum had taken effect. Now, all he had to do was wait for her memories to be unlocked, then he would play his next card when the time was right.

"Are you finished, my Lord?"

Sōsuke drew himself from his private thoughts and raised his gaze towards the direction of the smooth and powerful voice. Leaning against a tree, and looking rather bored, was one of his most trusted Arrancar, the hidden Espada known as Cheveyo. The handsomely rugged Espada was looking expectantly towards him with a gaze void of any emotion or care.

Sōsuke gave a nod and replied, "Yes. We can leave now."

"Good." Cheveyo pushed himself from the tree, dusting off his gloved hands before reaching behind him to unclasp one of the kamas that were strapped upside down and crisscrossing his back. The blade hissed through the air as it was flipped about and poised before him. The Espada, with flesh kissed by the sun and beaded arm bands of multi colors and leather strands, turned away from the Soul Reaper.

He said in comment, "Open the door, Tenskwatawa."

The weapon seemed to vibrate within his delicate yet firm grip as it responded to its Shawnee name. The Espada, known as the Spirit Warrior, swept the kama before him and the blade kissed through the fabric of time and space to rip open a Garganta.

Sōsuke smiled ever so slightly as he watched the rift between the worlds open. Cheveyo was the only Espada capable of opening a Garganta that could not be detected by any spiritually aware being - Arrancar, Soul Reaper, or by the Seireitei itself. The Garganta was completely undetectable, and that made the Native American Espada a very valuable and loyal asset.

When the Garganta was stable, Cheveyo turned his dark and shadowed eyes towards Sōsuke and gave a nod. A stray stream of moon light pressed through the overhead clouds to touch down upon the deadly warrior, casting light upon three rows of teeth-like bones spread in lines around his throat - remnants of his broken mask.

Sōsuke stepped forwards then paused as he glanced back over his shoulder towards the direction he had walked. There was a moment of hesitated as he reconsidered leaving her. Why not take Kazumi with him to Las Noches where he could see to the recovery of her memories in a place where he had full control? Leaving her in the World of the Living may confuse her as there would be no one to answer her questions with truthful answers. Could he really leave her with Shinji Hirako as the only source of answers?

He had to.

The time was not right for them to reconnect. Sōsuke wanted the real Kazumi to bloom within this woman's soul and realize what was happening so, when she came to him, she would not be afraid of him. He wanted her mind to be pliable and afraid so that he could manipulate her confused memories to fit the previous life she should have had. That way, Shinji Hirako would be the devil and he would be her angel. There was little doubt in his mind that she would seek him out. After all, he would make sure to influence her confusion and sneak his presence into her life whenever possible in a way to secure his association to her as a source of security and trust. When she was ready, Sōsuke would give her all the answers she needed. In the end, Kazumi's reborn soul would see Shinji as the man who betrayed her, leaving her to nothing but suffering and death.

Upon seeing the sly grin coil Aizen's features, Cheveyo's eyes narrowed in thought. He had learned over the decades, while under the Soul Reaper's command, that the man's evil mind was turning with terrifying thoughts when a smile or a grin caressed his face.

"Let's go."

The striking Cheveyo gave a respectful nod of his head before turning and following the Soul Reaper into the Garganta that closed silently at his back.

"**I**don't see her yet, Emily. Just calm down," Ryu Stanford told his frantic wife through the mobile call.

He didn't like to hear her cry and certainly didn't find the fact that she was crying over Juliana's disappearance any easier to handle. An hour ago, Biscuit came bounding back to the house in panic and ran right up the stairs to hide under a bed. When a half an hour passed, and Juliana didn't return, Emily literally kicked Ryu out of the house to find their wayward daughter. Ryu had searched most of their neighborhood, about a five block radius, while comforting his wife through a phone call.

He was just crossing a street when he glanced down an undeveloped street heading to a wooded dead-end and spotted Juliana standing beneath a flickering street lamp. "Hold on, Emily. I've found her. We'll be back soon." Ending the call, Ryu sprinted towards his daughter. "Juli!" he called to her. His attractive, middle aged features brightened with a look of relief only to be replaced with deep concern when she didn't reply to him, and when he came to stand before her, his eyes went wide.

She was staring forwards, right at him, yet didn't seem to react to his presence or his call. Her eyes were glassy and tears had wet her cheek. He could see her body shivering and weaving ever so slightly.

"Juli?" he asked softly, gently setting his hands upon her shoulders. "Sweetheart, are you alright?"

She didn't reply, didn't even blink.

"Damn." Ryu touched her cheeks only to hiss when he felt her cold, damp skin. She felt icy cold. Wrapping an arm about her, he turned her about. "Come on, let's get you home."

They walked back to the house in complete silence, and when they returned, Emily met them with a panic filled cry when she saw her daughter's state. "What happened to her, Ryu?" she cried, reaching out to grasp Juliana. "What's wrong with her?"

"I don't know," muttered Ryu as he tried to push Juliana past her mother's grasp and into the house. "Let's get her inside and warmed up."

"She's ice cold."

"I know," Ryu grumbled, agitated that Emily was blocking their entry. When his wife didn't move, he apologized in his head before he snapped, "Emily! Move, please!" He instantly regretted his command when she raised her frightened eyes with an expression of hurt. "I'm sorry," he quickly added with his frown. "I just want to get her inside and safe."

Whimpering, Emily nodded and stepped aside so Ryu could walk Juliana into the house. She quickly shut the door then rushed off into the kitchen while calling, "I'll make her some tea!"

"Come on, sweetheart," Ryu whispered as he carefully helped his daughter up the stairs, down a small hall then into her bedroom. He sat her to the edge of her bed then bent to take off her shoes and socks. Glancing up to her, his pale blue eyes softened as he reached up to tuck a lock of her hair behind an ear. "What happened to you?" he inquired curiously as he ran his gaze over her, raising the sleeves of her shirt to look for wounds upon her arms. He found none, so he went to inspecting her legs. He found no sign of physical trauma.

"Ryu?" Emily whispered as she shuffled into the room. "Why don't you go wait on her tea? I'll see to making her comfortable. Alright?"

A gentle touch to his shoulder drew Ryu to stand. He gave his wife a nod then departed the room, his mind twisting as to what could have happened. She wasn't physically attacked, as far as he could see, and the odd glaze within her eyes spoke of a unique and unnatural event having caused her stupor. He had seen such blank eyes before, many times in fact, but never had the gazes appeared so empty and lifeless. Those expressions he had seen in the past had come from the abilities of a few Zanpakutou and had never frightened him, but, at this moment, he was frightened.

The tea kettle began to whistle the moment he walked into the kitchen, so he quickly prepared a mug of apricot green tea with a touch of honey. Once the tea had steeped, he hurried back up the stairs just in time to find Emily tucking Juliana into bed. She had managed to get Juliana's cold, damp clothes off and had dressed her in a fresh nightgown. Upon quiet steps, he entered the room and stepped to the bed where he placed the mug of tea down to the bedside table.

"How is she?" he asked with a frown of deep concern.

Juliana was still staring up to the ceiling, unblinking and unmoving.

"She hasn't said a word. She hasn't blinked at all." Emily looked to her husband as she sat upon the edge of the bed, facing Juliana. "I'm really scared, Ryu."

Ryu gave a nod. "So am I."

"I don't understand what could've happened to her. She was fine when she left the house, and she was perfectly fine earlier at the museum." Emily gasped as a thought slapped her cold. "You don't think Shinji could have done something to her, do you?"

Ryu frowned upon the mention of Shinji Hirako. Though he was not pleased to know that the once Captain of Squad Five had reappeared within Juliana's life; he slowly shook his head. "You know he would never do anything to hurt her, Emily."

"How can you say that? Everything that's happened to her, everything she's gone through is _his_ fault," she hissed quietly, angrily.

Ryu sympathized with his wife and her anger towards Shinji for he too felt that, in some way, the man was responsible for what had happened to Juliana - to Kazumi. Frowning, he leaned down to press a kiss to the top of his wife's soft hair. "If she's not better in a few hours, I'll call Kisuke. Alright?"

Emily gave a little nod.

"Come on, let's leave her to rest."

"I won't leave her."

"Emily…"

"No, Ryu," snapped Emily with a glare tossed his direction. "I'm not leaving her."

He gave in with a nod of his head then left the room. Sighing, Emily turned her attention back to Juliana, reaching forwards to tuck the blanket closer. As the night progressed, eventually, Emily departed Juliana's room once she felt her daughter was safe. She joined Ryu in the sitting room, and, every few hours, either she or Ryu would check in on their daughter. It was close to midnight when Ryu found Juliana sound asleep. Her face seemed to have softened and now held a look of serenity while she slept. He sighed in relief before closing the door and walking down the hall.

Emily, who was preparing for bed, looked to him with worried expectancy. "How is she?"

"She's asleep."

Emily's heart fluttered in delight. "Is she okay?"

"I think so," he answered her as he slid into bed next to his wife. "She appears to be relaxed."

Sighing, Emily allowed herself to be drawn into her husband's embrace. "I'm very glad."

Ryu wrapped his arms about his wife. "She'll be okay, Emily. She's strong."

"I know she is. She always has been."

"_**N**__o. You're lying…"_

_Sōsuke softened his dark eyes as he watched, and allowed, Kazumi to back away from him. Her steps quivered as she moved, stepping away till her back hit a wall and a tight squeak tumbled from her lips. "I wish that I was," he said sympathetically._

_Kazumi shook her head as her eyes darted about the dim lit room, focusing on nothing directly. "This can't be true…"_

_Sōsuke took a cautious step forwards. He didn't want to spook her by being too forward with his offering of comfort even if the urge to pull her into his arms was nearly too strong to ignore. Reining in his slipping self-control, Sōsuke lowered his gaze and said softly, "The Head Captain has made his announcement. Shinji Hirako has been declared a traitor, along with those who have conspired with him. Their disappearance will not be tolerated, and they are being hunted down as we speak. I thought that you deserved to be told of the matter by me and not through word of mouth or by rumors."_

_Kazumi pushed from the wall to take an unsteady step. "No..." The word quivered as if it had been formed from the bile rising up from her stomach. _

"_You must calm yourself, Kazumi."_

"_Calm myself?" she snapped, turning an angry glare towards Squad Five's Lieutenant. "Why should I calm myself? Your Captain is…"_

"_My Captain,' Aizen interjected quickly and without missing a single beat before adding softly, and with his eyes locked upon her, 'your lover, is now a traitor to the Seireitei. You must accept that fact, as painful as it is."_

_Her…lover? Kazumi paled and pressed herself flat to the wall, a hand falling to her stomach to curl against her Komon kimono of pink and white flowers. Her eyes slowly went wide as she stared into the Lieutenant's unmoving and uncaring eyes. Then, in a quivering voice that dripped with shock, she whispered, "You knew?"_

"_Yes. I have known for some time now that my Captain had taken you as his lover," he replied with a bite to his usually smooth voice. _

_Kazumi wasn't sure if she heard sympathy or contentment within his voice. Either way, his words cut through her skin with a cold, dull blade. The fact that Sōsuke had discovered hers and Shinji's relationship was a frightening revelation. He had known all this time, and not once said anything. With the secret and delicate knowledge exposed, she realized that Sōsuke could have destroyed both lovers, especially if he had ever discovered…_

_Her honey kissed eyes went wide, and the fingers that were settled over her stomach tightened, clenching and scrunching the delicately patterned fabric. Sōsuke's keen eyes never missed a single move, a single flutter of a leaf within the wind. He saw everything, including the tightening of her fingers, yet he said nothing to the hidden meaning behind the protective and nervous movements._

_He told her with a pleased tone to his voice, "You need to accept the fact that Captain Hirako is gone."_

_Shinji was gone? How could he leave her without telling her, even under the circumstances? How could the Head Captain label him a traitor when he and the other Captains and Lieutenants were loyal to the Thirteen Court Guard Squads? Not once had Shinji ever muttered a word against his duties or his loyalty to the Seireitei, nor did he ever consider turning his back to the ideals that he and the other Soul Reapers took an oath to uphold. Shinji would never abandon his fellow Soul Reapers, his friends and squad members, or the Soul Society. _

_Never._

"_What happened, Sōsuke?" _

_Sōsuke took a deep and steady breath. "The Head Captain has made the decision to keep the details of the situation within the circle of Captains."_

"_Then how do you know?" she asked out of suspicion._

"_I am the Lieutenant of Squad Five. I was informed by the Head Captain himself and told that I will be reporting to a questioning by Central Forty-Six upon the disappearance of Captain Hirako and the others. You should also be aware that your relationship with Captain Hirako will be discovered. You will be called for questioning as well, so be prepared."_

_Kazumi stared at Sōsuke in complete incredulity. "This cannot be happening. How is that possible?"_

"_Again, the details are not being released at this time. I am not sure they will ever be released to the general population."_

_Kazumi violently shook her head sending thick waves of chestnut to dance wildly about her sickened features. "I don't believe this! Shinji would never vacate his position. He would never turn his back upon his beliefs, his squad members, or the Seireitei."_

"_Or you."_

_A quick breath of air snagged within Kazumi's lungs, and her eyes flashed in panic._

_Sōsuke took a step forwards, but only one. "You meant to say that Captain Hirako would never leave you."_

_She whimpered and turned her eyes away._

_Sōsuke's lips pressed thin with annoyance upon seeing such passion echo within her eyes, all dedicated to his Captain. Her passion fueled his anger at both of her and Shinji. He wanted, no, he deserved her passion and her dedication, her loyalty and her love. Shinji Hirako deserved none of those beautiful and warm qualities that Kazumi's heart embraced. _

_She whimpered through her budding tears, "He would not leave me…"_

_A low, almost audible snarl pressed against Aizen's lips when those delicate words of suffering and dedicated nonsense tickled his ears. "He and the other traitors will be found, Kazumi. They will be returned and brought before Central Forty-Six for trial and sentencing." When her eyes turned back to him, Sōsuke felt his heart twist upon seeing her tear slickened cheeks and the painful reality of his words reaching to her soul. He wanted to embrace her, comfort her. Instead, all he could say was, "I am truly sorry for your loss."_

"_I think I'm going to be ill…" _

_Kazumi paled quickly, and when her beautiful honey touched eyes rolled up into her head, Aizen moved using Shunpo and appeared at her side as she collapsed into his arms. A charming frown touched his handsome face as he gazed down to her; she had fainted. He didn't enjoy seeing her suffering upon the news that Shinji Hirako was missing, and hopefully dead. Gathering her into his arms, Sōsuke carried her across her room to a bed-mat where he laid her down, a pillow being tucked beneath her head. _

"_Do not hate me, Kazumi,' he whispered to her, 'for all that I have done I have done for you." _

"_**W**__e shall see each other again. Do not worry. Now that I have found you, I will not let you go." _

Gasping, Juliana bolted upright in her bed with her hands clasping the blankets tightly against her chest. She was shaking and cold from a damp sweat that decorated her skin. She was confused as her wide eyes darted about the dark room, looking from one shadowy piece of furniture to another before settling on the bedroom window where a dull rain splattered against the glass windowpanes. Panting, she licked her dry lips as her eyes once again began to travel the room. This was her bedroom. The lights were off and the windows were cracked open just enough to allow a cool, rain kissed breeze to caress inwards.

Juliana frowned as she pressed a hand to her chest from where she could feel her heart ravaging from within. Fear held her in a tight grip as if she had just awoken from a horrible nightmare. As she sat within the darkness, her mind tried to form memories of the dream that she had awoken from, yet all Juliana could put together were bits and pieces of images, flashes of disconnected and distorted meanings.

She glanced to the clock upon the bedside table to find the pink numbers glowing softly a time of three twenty-nine in the morning. It was past three in the morning? How was that possible when she had just taken Biscuit for a walk? The walk! Blinking her eyes, Juliana looked back to the dark room and raised fingertips to touch her lips.

Had it all been a dream?

The last thing she remembered was turning down a small street with Biscuit trotting on extended leash before her. Then…

Then what happened?

A frown creased her lips, knitting her forehead in wrinkled lines. A deep rooted feeling of lost time twisted Juliana's gut. She shivered as her memory failed her. Fear began to bubble up within her, swelling quickly as she began to panic to her lost night. How could she have been out in the street then suddenly in bed, missing more than seven hours? A shiver danced through her, and that shiver brought with it a sickening pull of dread. One memory came forwards, pushing clear to the forefront of her mind. A face came to her mind's eye of a handsome man with luscious yet vacant brown eyes. His flesh was pale and his lips held the faintest of grins. Waves of chocolate brown kissed his neck in a short and stylish cut, slicked back and away from his eyes but for one lock that fell stubbornly between his eyes.

A name. He had called her an odd name, and though Juliana felt that she didn't know the name, she also had a strong sensation that she knew the name, had heard it somewhere - some time ago.

Shaking her head, Juliana drew in a deep breath then blew it out in a whistle as she attempted to stabilize her heartbeat. Who was the man she was seeing? Had he been part of the dream, and why had he kissed her? He had kissed her in her dream!

Outside the open window, a distant rumble of thunder gave hint of the dissipating storm. Taking another breath, Juliana ran her mind over a second dream that had occurred, a dream that was much clearer. She saw the same man, or whom she thought to be the same man but he had worn glasses while the other had not. They could have passed as twins, though their clothing had been different.

No.

Juliana shook her head as she compared the images of the two men. Their eyes had been the same deep pools of emotional emptiness. The two men had been one in the same. There was a part of her that knew such to be true. Whoever the man was, he was dangerous. A small voice from deep within her told her that he was.

"Get a hold of yourself," she muttered, dragging one hand through her tousled chestnut locks. Her skin felt clammy and cool. "It was just a dream."

Or had it been…more?

In her dream, she had spoken of Shinji. Even now, as she sat upon her bed, she could feel the agony that she had felt within her dream upon learning of Shinji's disappearance. Why would she be dreaming of Shinji leaving some place called the Seireitei? What reason would she have had to making up such a dream? Then again, dreams were nothing more than twisted fantasies, weren't they?

Licking her lips, she slid her eyes to her mobile phone resting next to a mug of cold tea. Before she could stop herself, she was dialing his number.

One beep. Two beeps. Three beeps, and then a very sleepy sounding Shinji answered.

"_Whoever this is, you're going to be in a world of hurt come morning…"_His voice yawned on the other end of the line.

"Shinji…" His name, whispered softly, was all Juliana could mutter as she laid back down, drawing the covers up and over her head.

There was a pause on the other end as if he was trying to think through his hazed brain to recognize the voice.

When he didn't reply directly, she added, "It's me. Juliana."

"_Juliana?"_ His voice came awake and alert. _"It's past three in the morning. What are you doing up? Is everything okay?"_

"I'm very sorry for waking you," she told him through a very quiet whisper.

"_What was that? I couldn't hear you. You sound muffled."_

She licked her lips. "I said that I'm sorry for waking you up," she repeated a bit louder, yet still quiet and soft. "I just - I can't sleep."

She heard Shinji yawn and the rustle of fabric, as if he was stretching beneath sheets. He then asked, "_Why can't you sleep?" _

"Something strange has happened. I had some odd dreams, but it seems I can only remember one of them clearly."

"_Dreams, huh? What were they about?" _

She shifted beneath the covers, tucking a hand beneath her chin. "They were strange, Shinji. Everything that has happened tonight has been odd. I don't understand what has happened to me."

"_In your dreams?"_

"Not really."

"_You're confusing me…"_

"I took Biscuit…"

"_Biscuit?"_

"Biscuit is my dog."

"_Biscuit."_

"Shinji…" she chided.

He chuckled. _"Sorry. Continue."_

"As I was saying, I took Biscuit out for his walk last night after supper, as usual. We had turned down a quiet street when I felt the same feeling of dread come over me as I had when I fainted on you the other day and when we were at the museum."

"_Are you okay? Did anything happen?" _

"I'm fine. Well, at least I think I am. I have just woken up." Juliana sighed and sniffled as a new tickle of uneasy fright caressed her. "This is what is so odd, Shinji. I don't remember coming home. I remember seeing somebody walking towards me on the sidewalk when Biscuit started acting odd. He became very frightened then, suddenly, ran back home. When I turned around, there was a man standing in front of me. He had spoken to me. I think he called me a name."

"_A name?"_ asked Shinji.

"Yes."

"_What was the name?"_

"Kazumi. That's the last thing I remember till I woke up just a few minutes ago." Juliana groaned in annoyance as her fuzzy mind became muddled once again. "The thing is, I'm not sure if the incident was a dream or not. It feels like a dream because I can't remember all of it, but at the same time it feels very real. It frightens me. I know I went for a walk with Biscuit, but I can't tell if what happened actually happened or was part of a dream. And if it was real, why can't I remember coming home, changing, and going to bed?"

There was more rustling on the other end of the call, fabric being tossed around and the sound of Shinji's body moving. Juliana frowned at the curse she heard. "Shinji?"

"_Can I text you at this number?"_ he asked after a moment of struggle.

"Of course."

"_Good. I'm coming over."_

Then the phone went dead.

Close to twenty minutes had passed as Juliana quietly paced before the front door. She nearly cried out in shock when her mobile sounded to a new text message indicating that Shinji was waiting for her outside. She didn't waste any time in responding to him, only struggled to unlock and open the front door before running out to him, not even bothering to check if the rain had stopped - which it had. When she saw him, she rushed to him and threw her arms about his thin shoulders, hugging him tightly. He returned her hug, his slender arms wrapping about her and giving her the first sense of security and comfort she had felt all night.

"It's okay," he told her in a warm whisper against her ear when he felt her shivering against him. "I'm here now." He slid a set of lean fingers into her free hair to press her features close to his neck. A quiet, throaty whimper was heard, and it broke his heart.

After a few moments of silence, Shinji gently eased Juliana's head away from his shoulder. He brushed her hair away from her face so he could look to her tear stained cheeks. "Talk to me, babe," he said softly and with a slight smile. "Tell me what happened so I can find the ass who scared you and beat the shit out of him."

Juliana raised her eyes. "That's just it. I don't know who he was. I only saw him for a few minutes and then everything went black. I woke up in my room, in my pajamas and the time was much later. I don't remember walking home. I don't know how I got home. I don't even know if he was real, Shinji. I feel like I'm losing my mind…"

"Did you faint again?"

Juliana shook her head. "I don't think so."

Could it have been a Hollow she saw? Hardly. If she had felt the Spiritual Pressure of a Hollow, she would have fainted, and if that Hollow came upon her, she would have been a nice evening snack. Then there was the fact that she said she saw a man, unless Hollows now presented themselves as people. Shinji ran his concerned gaze over her, looking for any signs of wounds or injuries. He saw none, and left it at that. There was no way he was going to ask her to strip just so he could check the rest of her body.

Juliana truly was touched by his concern. Gently, she drew his hands away, holding them within hers. "I don't think I fainted. When I woke not too long ago, my mind was fuzzy, but the haze disappeared quickly. I knew something was wrong, but I didn't think I had missed almost seven hours of the night. I don't understand at all what has happened."

"What about the man?" he asked, smiling to their clasped hands. He shifted his grip, lacing their fingers together. "Do you remember anything about him?"

Juliana sighed. "I remember him."

Shinji turned his gaze away, looking about and spotting a garden bench off to the north wall of the property. "Come here." With their hands held, he walked her over to the bench where they could sit and talk without the front door suddenly coming open by parental hands. They sat down, ignoring the wet seat, and Juliana moved to rest her head to one of his thin shoulders that she oddly found to be comfortable. Shinji smiled, looking down to her, then he draped an arm about her shoulders with fingers combing through a stray wave of thick chestnut.

He inquired softly "What did he look like?"

"He was not too old, but he was older than me. He didn't look like he was some psychotic killer, even though he frightened me. In fact, he came off as rather charming and calm. He had deep brown eyes and brown hair that was combed back and away from his face, but there was a curl that fell down between his eyes."

"Did he say who he was?"

"No."

Shinji licked his lips and asked softly, and through a bite of dread, "Are you sure he called you by a different name?"

Juliana nodded. "I think he did. I'm not sure if he was talking to me or somebody else. I mean, I didn't see anybody else with him or on the street so he had to have been speaking to me. But I heard the name Kazumi just after Biscuit bolted off. I was turned away when I heard the name."

'_Damn…'_

Shinji not only tightened his eyes shut but he also tightened his arm about her and pressed his cheek against the top of her head. "What else did he say?" he inquired while trying to keep his voice calm and not hinting to his building agitation.

She whispered softly with her features twisting in a look of concentration, "I don't think he said anything else. I can't remember if what happened was really just a dream because I had another dream, and I think he was in it but there were slight differences in the two men's appearances. The man in my second dream had the same hair color and same color eyes, but he had glasses and different clothes."

Shinji narrowed his eyes and grumbled under his breath, "Tell me about the second dream."

Juliana shifted closer, and Shinji leaned back on the bench while drawing her with him. "We were in an odd room and I was watching the scene from a third person point of view," she began to explain. "He had come to tell me some horrible news. He said that you and some others had been labeled as traitors to something called…a Seireitei, or something like that. He said you had gone missing and somebody called the Head Captain had given orders for you and the others to be hunted down and brought to justice. Nothing he said in the dream makes sense to me, but in the dream what he was telling me made sense because I was very upset and crying. I was horrified and was suffering uncontrollably. I didn't believe what he was telling me, and I told him that you would never leave me."

She raised her head from Shinji's shoulder so she could look him in the eyes. "He told me that he knew you and I were lovers. I think I fell ill or something because I fainted."

Lovers?

Shinji winced and turned his eyes away from her. When he looked away, he heard Juliana's worrisome voice ask, "What does it mean, Shinji?"

"I don't know," he heard himself reply.

He lied to her, and it stung deeply. He knew the exact theme of her dream, and he knew the events that had occurred before the scene of her dream. In fact, the dream was not a dream at all. It was a memory. It had to be some form of a memory. How else could she have dreamed of Sōsuke Aizen, as well as mention of that old bastard Yamamoto and the Seireitei?

"He said some others had run off with you, but I can't remember their names. He called them Captains and Lieutenants of some…court…guard…' she frowned with a shake of her head then gave a huff, 'or something like that. I'm sorry. I can't remember anything else. Everything is so confusing. That's why I can't tell if the first dream was really a dream or a real event."

Shinji looked to her, mustering up an uneasy smile. "It's okay."

"One other thing…" she said with hesitation.

When she looked away with a shadow of humiliation touching her cheeks, Shinji reached about her to brush a set of his fingers to her outside cheek, drawing her gaze back to him. He brushed his thumb across her lips, feeling the lingering slickness of her tears clutching the soft petals. "What is it, Juliana?"

She looked back to him and went on to say with a fluttering sigh, "He kissed me."

"He…kissed you?"

She nodded.

"Are you sure?"

"Yes."

"In which dream?"

"The first one. I think I asked him something or said something to him when he called me Kazumi. I think he touched my cheek too." In reflex, she raised her fingers to her cheek. "I thought that I knew him. I had a feeling I did, especially when he smiled. His smile made me feel cold and empty, and when I asked him who he was, he gave me a confusing answer. Then he kissed me. The next thing I remember is waking up in bed. It took me a few minutes to sort out my confusion till I remembered the second dream. And I'm still not sure that the first was really a dream or not. I'll have to ask my parents in the morning what happened."

"I don't think I can go back to sleep," she added with a little shiver.

Shinji draped his arm back about her and gently drew her to him. "You don't have to."

She closed her eyes and said through a soft whisper, "But I'm so tired…"

"Why don't I take you back inside the house?"

She nodded. "I can still see his eyes when I close mine. I can still feel his cold touch." Juliana looked to him as a tear skimmed down her cheek. "I don't want to be alone, Shinji."

"You're not alone," he told her, pressing a kiss to her temple. "You're parents are here."

Drawing back, Juliana sat straight and with her eyes settling on him. She whispered, "I am still alone."

Shinji gulped. There was a warm and needful look echoing within her eyes, a look that called to his soul and sent a trickle of heat through him. He raised a hand to thread his fingers into her hair to cup the side of her head in his palm. "You're never alone. I'm here."

Closing her eyes, Juliana leaned to his touch, nuzzling is palm softly. "Can you stay with me for a little while? Till I fall asleep?"

"I'll stay as long as you need me to. I'm not going anywhere."

**O**nce Shinji and Juliana were safely in her bedroom, after quietly tiptoeing up the stairs, Juliana sat upon her bed while Shinji went about closing the windows and the curtains. She was cold, and he didn't like to see her shivering. The dream not only disturbed her but bothered him down to his soul. How could she remember Sōsuke? How could she make up a dream involving the relationship Shinji had with Kazumi over a century ago? How could she remember the Seireitei and the Head Captain if she was only, and with the slight chance in being, Kazumi's reincarnated soul?

Shinji found himself thoroughly confused with too many questions tripping over each other and repeating themselves within his mind. His eyes slid to the side to observe Juliana's quiet reflection in the window he faced. She wasn't even Japanese. She was an exchange student from England living in Karakura Town only because her father had transferred jobs. She was not even twenty-two when Kazumi had been close to two-hundred. She couldn't be Kazumi; after all, he had been told that Kazumi had taken her own life within days of his escape. Kisuke had told Shinji himself. The news had been devastating, more than devastating. Most of Shinji's soul had died upon hearing the horrific news. He had still been recovering from the Hollowfication when Kisuke told him, in private, of his lover's suicide. He may have recovered from his transformation, but Shinji had never fully recovered from the loss of his heart.

What if she wasn't really a reincarnation of his past lover, his beloved Kazumi? What if Juliana _was_ Kazumi only…changed? But how could that be possible? How could she revert in age and have no clue as to the truth of her identity, not to mention her having two parents and an entirely different life? And still, if she was Kazumi, why had Shinji not picked up on any hint of Spiritual Pressure from her that would have felt familiar to him? Kazumi had been a strong Soul Reaper with some very unique abilities, two very unique abilities. He would have felt her power. So far, however, he felt nothing.

Juliana was now looking at him, her head tipped and a frown touching her lips. His heart sank. He sighed as he drew the curtains closed. "Tell me something,' he said as he turned around to face her, 'what makes you think you know the guy from your dreams?"

She gave a little shrug of her shoulders. "I don't know exactly. I mean, we make up our dreams from mostly fantasies or observations, sometimes memories that we alter. Dreams can be manipulated or created by our subconscious from watching television programs or reading books or even conversations we have with others. We replay and alter our past, make up our future, and create our pleasures. Maybe he's just somebody I saw on a television program that I have just forgotten about. It's all very confusing. But, somehow, every emotion I felt was real. He scared me."

Shivering, she squared Shinji with a leveled gaze. Her voice dropped s she told him, "I woke up crying, Shinji. My soul knew him, and knew to fear him."

Crossing the room, Shinji squatted down before her and reached out to take her hands in his. Their eyes met, and he offered her a comforting smile. "We'll find out what's going on, babe. I promise you. You just need to get some rest now."

Juliana shook her head. "I don't want to sleep, Shinji."

"You don't need to sleep, just close your eyes and rest."

"I'm afraid to close my eyes," she told him through a little whimper of fear. "I don't want to feel his cold touch again. I don't want look into his empty eyes and see a person without a soul. I don't want to hear his lyrical, nightmarish voice." She looked to him with pleading eyes. "What if he comes back?"

Shinji frowned. She said _he_ \- not speaking of the dream but of the man. "I won't let him get you," he told her as he moved forwards, releasing their hands as he took her face within his deadly yet gently grasp. Slanting his head, Shinji kissed Juliana with a strong and heated embrace, an embraced fueled by the true fear that Aizen might have found his way back to her.

A tiny moan was heard bubbling up from within Juliana's throat to tickle against his lips. The kiss turned passionate, far from gentle. Shinji didn't wait for permission to kiss her for he knew that she needed the affirmation of his presence. She wanted to know that she was safe with him. When she parted her lips against his, Juliana showed her approval of the kiss by slowly draping her arms about his shoulders. Their tongues met in a gentle dance of exploration, deepening the kiss of building passion and no longer chaste innocence. Before he could check himself, Shinji stepped over the line of politeness and respect by placing a bony knee upon the bed between her parted thighs. He came to arch over her, a brazen move but a move of passion no less.

She did not disapprove, and why should she considering they had snuck little kisses before? Juliana didn't disapprove, and she didn't ask him to stop. Instead, her arms moved so she could thread her hands into his thin, blond hair as she arched against him, eagerly pressing herself to meet his body. When a soft moan echoed against his mouth, Shinji hesitantly moved, leaning over her and pressing against her till Juliana was laying on the bed.

He knew he shouldn't be doing this. Kissing her was one thing but moving the act to the intimacy of her bed was a world all its own. A set of his deadly fingers came to caress down the arch of her slender throat to feel her quickening pulse, and with a slow trail of his moist tongue against her lips, a little lick, Shinji broke the kiss to trace his lips along her jaw. He felt her quiver against him, and the sensation swept hot lust right to his core as that quiver was mixed with a sweet groan that tumbled from her parted lips. The kiss then returned with hot force, his tongue invading her mouth with quick sweeps and slow grazes.

Juliana moaned beneath his commanding kiss. She was putty within his skilled hands that stroked along her body, one trailing down a curved hip while the other ran up and over her shoulder, along her neck then up into her hair where they curled at the back of her neck. Shinji forced her to tip her head back so he could deepen the sensual assault upon her lips.

Shinji greedily drank in each moan and each groan of pleasure from her. The way she gasped against his mouth when his deadly fingertips ghosted along the underside of her breasts, teasing her flesh beneath the fabric of her thin nightgown, was music to his ears. How he missed her pleasure filled sounds. Each note of sensual music reminded him of the times he and Kazumi had made love in the past, so long ago. He had never forgotten how she had felt when quivering within his hands, when moving upon his body, and when trembling against him. He had never forgotten how his name had echoed from Kazumi's lips as she climaxed within his arms.

Now, Juliana was bringing back all of his hot, sexual memories that stirred within him wanton lust that he found hard to ignore. The growl that sounded from him vibrated through them both causing Juliana to whimper and for him to wrap his arms about her, yanking her against him. Shinji pulled his mouth away from hers in order to trail hot kisses along the arch of her throat, suckling against her jugular till she tipped her head back in offering to him, quietly requesting more of his attention.

Should he really be doing this, kissing and touching her with such familiar intimacy? He should have more control, damn it!

"Juliana…" he whispered against her soft throat.

She whimpered, sensually responding to him by pressing herself wantonly against him as her slender thighs parted to cradle his thin hips. Her hands, coming to press against his chest, dragged over his thin, tight chest to gather the fabric of his shirt within her grasp. Her body was burning, set aflame by the wonderful abuse of his mouth and the strong caresses of his hands. She wanted to melt in his arms and… Oh, she wanted so much! When he began attacking her throat with his talented mouth, she released a gurgled moan that quivered on the verge of lustful hunger. Her eyes tightened shut as she balled her fingers against his chest when suddenly the warm moisture from his suckling lips vanished. She felt her body being drawn forwards till she was sitting up before him, and her hazed eyes opened to look through her cloudy vision to see Shinji staring at her, breathing heavily.

"Shinji," Juliana moaned sweetly, lifting a hand from his bunched shirt to touch his cheek with her thumb grazing along his lower lip.

"Damn," he groaned tightly, tipping his head so that he could kiss along her palm. "I didn't mean to take advantage of the situation, Juliana."

She shook her head, smiling to the feeling of his lips to her skin. She couldn't stop shivering with desire. Juliana curled her fingers to his cheek and guided his mouth back to hers. When their lips were but a breath apart, she whispered tenderly, "Kiss me again…"

His heart slammed within his chest at her romantic request. Breaths came to hitch within his chest, straining beneath his slipping control. "We can't… Your parents…"

Can't what? Kiss her again? Who was he fooling? He would kiss her till the end of the world.

Licking her lips, Juliana found her mind turning to the most wanted form of physical comfort one could desire. Her slender frame leaned to him, and she began to trail kisses along his sharp jaw till she heard him sigh and felt his body relax. Her fingers held his angled face in her delicate touch as her lips returned to his to kiss away a frustrated sigh that she heard. Yet his words, his subtle reminder of her parents being so close brought reality painfully back to her mind.

"I know," she sighed and pressed a kiss to the tip of his nose then inched back till their eyes met allowing her to see disappointment reflected within his eyes. "I have never felt this way before, Shinji." While licking her lips, she watched a finger of hers trail along his lower lip. "I have never been attracted to any guy as I am to you. I have not been able to stop thinking about you after I left you at the coffee shop the first day we met. I don't know why I feel such a pull towards you, but I do."

She looked to him as her eyes turned to fright, fright of the unknown starting to take over her. "What's happening to me, Shinji? Why do I feel that there was more to those dreams than what I am understanding? Why do I feel that meeting that man on the street was real and not a dream?"

Her voice quivered as if she was once again on the verge of tears, tears that no doubt would break Shinji's heart. Unable to answer her directly, Shinji wrapped her in his arms, gathering her against him tightly. "I don't know,' he told her in hushed honesty, 'but I swear to you that we'll find out. One way or another, we'll find out what's going on. I promise."

Sighing heavily, Shinji easily lay back upon the bed, bringing Juliana along with him. His heart was pounding within his chest, a ramped rhythm of both desire and anxiety. Juliana didn't wait for him to get comfortable before she coiled about him, her head resting against his chest and a slender leg curling about one of his own with a foot hooking beneath his calf. She tucked an arm beneath his back with her fingers curling in his shirt, as if afraid to let him go. Shinji held her to him by an arm draped over her shoulders where his long fingers caressed in slow motion.

"I wish I had all the answers to provide you with some form of comfort," he said after a moment of silence then shifted so he could watch the rise and fall of her head, resting upon his chest in time to his breathing. "I guess this would be one of those moments when being psychic would come in handy, huh?"

There was a chuckle to his final words that gained Juliana's attention. She peeked up to him with a twist of her head and saw Shinji's lips twisted in a devious grin, a grin that spread wide across his face. When he looked to her, he winked then brought the hand upon her shoulder to twine into her hair. "Get some rest," he told her, guiding her head back against him. "You don't have to worry about anything anymore. Leave everything to me."

Beneath his tightening embrace, Juliana smiled and took in the needed comfort that he offered. She softly nuzzled his shoulder and felt her body ease, allowing herself to release some level of discomfort. Deep within her mind, that handsomely dangerous man was waiting for her, smiling sadistically. Before a worried whimper could tumble past her lips, she felt Shinji press a kiss to the top of her head.

"Relax."

Releasing a deep breath, Juliana forced her eyes to close. Surprisingly, she found herself drifting off into the comforts of sleep as Shinji continued to rub a hand up and down her back. Within minutes, her eyes had closed and her breathing had slipped into a smooth and peaceful rhythm.

Shinji would stay with her till morning, then he would find out what was going on. There was no way in the realms of Hell that he would let Sōsuke get a hold of her - not again. Closing his eyes, he turned his head to where his lips were licked by a wave of her hair. He smiled to the delicate tickle of her warm breath against his neck. One thought drifted through his mind as he closed his eyes.

He would kill any who dared try to take her away from him.

This he swore…

36


	5. Because I Love You

Honey Eyes A Bleach Fanfiction S . Lazic

Because I Love You

"_**L**__isten to me. I want you to come spend the day with me tomorrow and meet a few of my friends. You need a day to enjoy and relax, so come spend the day with me."_

"_I'm not sure. My parents are going to be hovering around me in the morning. I'm surprised my mother's not sleeping in my room."_

"_Honestly, I don't care about them and their worry. I'm concerned about you. What's wrong with spending the day with your boyfriend?"_

"_Boyfriend?"_

"_Yeah…"_

"_Oh, so at some point in time you decided to claim me as your girlfriend yet failed to inform me?"_

"_I was going to do that with some flowers and chocolates."_

"_Shinji…"_

"_What? Don't you like the idea of being an item with me?"_

"_It is a tempting idea…"_

"_Then spend the day with me and let's see what happens. We can spend the day getting to know each other a little better and making out…"_

"_Shinji!"_

"_Alright, half of the day. The other half we can play twenty questions. What do you say?"_

"_You're very charming…"_

"_You have no idea."_

"_I'm coming to believe that there is a lot to you that I don't know."_

"_Then get to know me."_

"_Alright. You have convinced me. I'll play twenty questions with you."_

"_Good. Call me when you wake up."_

"_I will."_

"_You promise?"_

"_I promise."_

**C**lose to an hour after Juliana departed her house, the time of day reaching one in the afternoon, her taxicab drove to the main gate of a rundown industrial complex. As the cab drove along a long running chain-link fence, she watched in confusion rows of cement and metal industrial buildings drift on by. This area was the far outside of Karakura Town's residential and business districts. In fact, this area was comprised of abandoned or closed factories and warehouses. Just what had Shinji meant about coming to his house and finding out that this was the location? Worry tugged on her as the car neared the main entry gate to the old district. This couldn't be right.

Frowning, she leaned forwards to question the driver. "Sir? Are you sure this is the right place?"

The drive glanced back through the rear-view mirror. "This is the place. You gave me the directions right off your phone, miss."

Juliana's lips twisted in a faint pout as she looked back out the window. For a moment, the thought drifted in her mind that coming to this location was a bad idea. Why would he bring her to this place, far away from the security of the public? But this was Shinji, and Juliana had a strong instinctual feeling since the moment she met him that she could place her life in his hands. He would never harm her or put her life in danger. There was a persistent aura around him that wept protection and safety. He had, after all, taken care of her when she fainted and came in the middle of the night to her house when she called him. So why would she doubt him now? Nipping her lower lip, she chewed her thought away as the car slowed to a stop just outside the front gate.

"Here we are."

"Thank you."

After paying the driver, Juliana exited the car with her overnight bag. When the car drove off, she glanced over her shoulder as an uncomfortable feeling prickled her stomach. She was suddenly very aware of how alone she was as she stared up at the stretch of dilapidated buildings lining the wide street and the small, narrower side streets just past the crumbling entry gate.

"I hope I know what I'm doing," she murmured.

Right when she decided to use her cell phone to call Shinji, she spotted a shadowy form walking towards her; thin frame, hands stuffed into pockets of black slacks, loose buttoned up shirt of white tucked in, jaw length blond hair, and a smile that seemed to slide partially across tight, thin jaws - it was Shinji! With a smile of relief, she put her phone into her purse then crossed her arms against her chest as one slender chestnut brow arched.

"There you are!" she called brightly.

"Where else would I be?" Shinji laughed, his lips relaxing to a gentler smile as the distance was closed between the two.

"What is this place?" she asked, stepping past the gate.

"This is one of Karakura Town's old industrial parks," replied Shinji, enjoying a moment to watch Juliana walk towards him. "I think the complex closed down about five years ago after the last company abandoned their building."

"I can see that. More to the point, however,' she chuckled, coming to stand right before him, 'what are you doing here? How can you have a house here?"

"I said that I lived here, not had a house here." Shinji smirked. "I told you to trust me; you said you would." He leaned to her, touching a kiss to the corner of her mouth and whispered against the soft flesh of her lips, "Don't get cold feet now."

"Such a charmer," she mewed, slipping an arm to the one his.

Shinji winked; she blushed. The two began to walk from the gate. "Now answer my questions, Shinji. I'm a bit worried as to why you brought me to this place and not your house."

Shinji shrugged, and his thin but long smile fell away from his unique features. "That's going to be hard for me to explain."

Juliana stopped, and the motion drew Shinji. When he looked back at her, Juliana offered him a timid smile of comfort. "This is why you asked me on the phone to trust you, isn't it, Shinji?"

He nodded.

Twisting her lips, Juliana sighed. "I can't help but trust you." She smiled to him and asked, "Can you explain that to me?"

Shinji regarded her carefully before he stepped closer to her, reaching out to brush the back of his fingers along her cheek while watching her close her honey kissed eyes beneath long, thick lashes. When she leaned into his touch, he released a hitching breath and whispered in reply to her, "I have a theory."

"A theory?" She opened her eyes with a cautious gaze. "Is it a theory that can be tested?"

Nodding, Shinji slipped an arm about her shoulders so the two could continue on with their walk. "Yeah, and you're the only one who can help me prove it."

Juliana nodded and strolled along at his side. "Then let's talk, Shinji."

He sighed in relief and lifted his eyes to the sky. "You have no idea how relieved I am to hear you say that."

"Why is that?"

"It's hard to explain."

Once again, she stopped and tugged him to do so also. When he looked back to her, a shadow of unease creasing across his eyes, she leaned to kiss his cheek. "Then let's find a place to sit so we can talk about this. Is there some place we can go?"

Shinji thought for a moment, pondering the seemingly abandoned section of the industrial park. It's not as if there was a city park stuck among the buildings. He could drag her off to the other 'hide-out' the Visoreds had taken refuge in, an old barn out on the edge of the town, but then a thought brightened in his head. There was another warehouse that had a safe set of outside stairs up to the rooftop that would provide them a quiet, secure place to sit and talk without the chance of being interrupted.

With a smile, he leaned to press a kiss to the top of her chestnut hair. "I know the perfect place. Are you afraid of heights?"

Juliana blinked and lifted her eyes to look to him curiously. "No. Why?"

Shinji cast her his trademarked wide, toothy grin. "You'll see."

After a short walk and a climb to the top of a building, Juliana felt her stomach twist as she tried so hard not to look down from the top of a warehouse. Taking a steady breath, she stepped back a good distance till she felt the kiss of vertigo leave her.

Walking past her, Shinji sat to the edge of the building's three foot tall security wall of cement then held out his hand to her. When she didn't move, he wiggled a finger to her. "I won't let you fall."

The delicate touch of her fingers to his palm closed his hand about hers, and he guided her to sit upon the wall next to him. Timidly - cautiously, she turned to face him. "There," he said with a firm nod. "See? Not so bad." With a smile, he slipped his arms loosely about her waist. There was no way he would let her fall.

Nodding, Juliana took a leap of faith in Shinji and shifted to lean her back to his chest, a sideways position but safe none the least. "If you let me fall, I promise to come back and haunt you."

Shinji chuckled and rolled his eyes before setting his sharp chin to her shoulder. "You're safer in my arms than anywhere else in the world," he murmured softly, allowing his eyes to close and his body to relax against her.

The two fell silent while enjoying the each other's presence. The cool breeze danced around them, catching Juliana's long hair to tickle against Shinji's cheeks. In the moment of serenity, Shinji quietly and cautiously inquired, "Can I ask you something?"

Juliana's gentle touch fell against his hands; her fingertips caressed along his knuckles. "Of course you can."

"Do you believe in past lives, the idea that we have all lived multiple lives and have met thousands of other souls and that we can meet these souls again in other lifetimes?"

"You mean like reincarnation and soul mates? That type of thing?"

"Something like that, yeah. Do you?"

"Of course," she replied softly while glancing down as she continued to trace an outline of his fingers against her flat stomach. "I have since I was a child. In fact, anything paranormal, especially the concept of reincarnation and incarnations, has been an addiction of mine since I can remember."

Shinji smirked. "What about fate? Do you believe in that?"

"That too," she replied, her voice dropping. With a deep breath, she shifted just enough within his protective embrace so she could look over her shoulder to him. "What are you getting at, Shinji?"

His lips twisted with a thoughtful smile. "Curiosity, and my theory."

Juliana looked to him, searching his features. "Your question has something to do with us, doesn't it?"

Shinji nodded and drew a hand from her stomach so he could brush his fingers along her jaw. "That day we met at the coffee shop, there was something about you that quickly dug its way into my mind. It was your eyes," he said softly, touching a fingertip to her right temple. "I felt like I had seen your eyes before but I couldn't remember off hand. Looking into your eyes was like déjà vu, but from a hazy dream point of view. I've never given a damn about meeting a girl before because my life really doesn't give me that option; nevertheless, I couldn't get you out of my head after we parted company that day at the coffee shop."

Juliana smiled softly, content to be held within his arms and listen to his words.

"Since then, I haven't been able to focus on anything but you. You're all I want." Shinji paused, a breath catching in his thin chest that was pushed from his quivering lips forcefully. "You're not the only one who has been having odd dreams. I had a dream of a memory I cherish a few nights ago, and since then I have had little memories popping in and out of my head during the day - old memories I had almost forgotten."

A frown touched her lips as she carefully shifted about till she was facing him. Not once did Shinji let his arms go lax. Sighing, she leaned to him till she had her head resting to his shoulder. "I have been trying to convince myself I was being silly," she said in a muffled tone of voice. "I can't get you out of my mind. Everything has been wonderful since we met, like a dream in and of itself."

"But then I had that nightmare," she whimpered against Shinji's neck, her words mixing with an uneasy breath.

Shinji frowned and tightened his arms about her. "Do you remember the name you were called in that dream?"

"Kazumi."

"She had beautiful eyes. Eyes like yours." He nestled a cheek to the softness of her hair. "Her hair,' he said, moving a hand so that he could wrap a finger within chestnut silk, 'was just a shade darker than yours with some red in it that would burn when caught within the sunlight."

Juliana's eyes blinked just before she lifted her head away from his shoulder. He was looking at her with a gaze that instantly pinched sadness within her heart. He was mournful with his lips slightly turned in a frown and his eyes holding a depth to them that seemed to be falling within his soul. Juliana lifted a hand to touch his cheek so her fingers could slowly glide along his jawline. "You knew a Kazumi?"

Sighing, Shinji let his eyes close from the delicate touch. "I did know a woman by that name many years ago. We were lovers."

Lovers? Juliana's eyes went wide. Shinji had a lover? That was impossible! He was close to her age, wasn't he? How could have had a lover before meeting her? Well, he had the right to have one, of course, but Juliana didn't like the idea. She frowned and, by instinct, began to draw away from him.

"Don't," Shinji said softly, recognizing the reason as to why her body suddenly went stiff. Tightening his arms, he moved to set his forehead against her own, a move that was becoming an unspoken sign of the connection they shared. "Please don't draw away from me."

"You loved her…"

He breathed out a soft 'yes'.

"Is that why you have been so kind to me, because I remind you of her?"

"You're more than a simple remembrance," he said softly. After releasing a deep and powerful breath, he eased back so he could look her straight in the eyes. "I think you are her."

First there came shock, then the confusion, then disbelief, and then realization. "Oh," she whispered. "Oh…my…"

"I also know the man you saw. His full name is Sōsuke Aizen, and we were associates many years ago."

"You've lost me," muttered Juliana with a shake of her head. How could Shinji know that man? That man seemed to be in his thirties and Shinji was close to twenty-two, at the oldest, so there was no way they could have been associates many years ago. If that were true, Shinji would have been a child. "Besides, I'm not sure if that man was part of my dream. How could you know him?"

"I hate to say this, but I think you did come face to face with him while walking your dog. I also think that after you met him something happened to you causing you to black out and lose time."

Juliana slowly shook her head as her frown became weighted. A shadowed look of skepticism crossed her eyes. "I'm not sure…"

"I told you this would be difficult for me to explain." He groaned and hung his head as he took a deep breath. "So I'll just come right out with it. Juliana, I'm over three-hundred years old."

Silence fell followed by building laughter as Juliana drew back to look to him with amusement shining in her eyes. Shinji arched a brow then, with a sigh, rolled his head back and dropped his arms from around her; they fell limp at his sides. "Now she laughs at me."

"That's impossible, Shinji. If you are over three-hundred years old, you'd definitely be showing your age but you don't look a day over twenty-three."

"Gee,' Shinji muttered, 'thanks. I'm being serious here."

"I'm sorry,' she chortled with an apologetic smile, 'but it's hard to be serious when you say something like that. Give me some proof, then I may just be crazy enough to believe you."

"Proof?" Groaning, he dragged a thin hand through his hair. "The girl wants proof." Seeing her nod with such an innocent and serious expression upon her features brought a grin to his face. "Funny you should ask. I have seven examples of proof nearby."

"Oh?" Juliana snickered, trying so hard not to laugh again. "And they are?"

"The associates I had told you about on the phone."

"I would have also accepted a copy of your birth certificate or social security number as well."

Shinji chuckled. "I don't have either one of those."

"I see," mewed Juliana thoughtfully. "Finger prints?"

Shinji glanced down to a hand, smirked then shook his head.

"Dental records?"

"Just shut up," he told her playfully.

"Tell you what, I'll accept a DNA sample?"

Shinji's eyes narrowed as he looked upon the giggling beauty with a slightly amused expression. "You want a DNA sample?" His lips coiled in to that all too telling Shinji grin before he slid his hands along her cheeks and into her hair, pulling her mouth to his as he leaned close to her.

Shinji didn't give Juliana any time to respond before his mouth was upon hers with a kiss that burned with intensity and sizzled with passion. He pressed his tongue against the part of her lips in a bold move that was followed by an agonizingly slow trail of his pierced tongue across her supple lips. A hard shudder ran through her body and against his just before he heard a sweet moan bubble up within her throat. When Juliana eased against him and when he felt her hands press against his chest, he nipped at her lips. When her mouth parted, her soft lips pulling apart to give him access to the hot recesses within, he glided his tongue forwards to taste her fully.

The kiss ended, softly, as Shinji drew his mouth away while licking her taste from his lips. He looked to her, watching the way her eyes fluttered open as they had closed during the kiss. In a voice laced with passionate heat, he asked, "How was that for a sample?"

Juliana mewed, skimming one hand up his chest to drag a single finger along his slender throat till the fingertip touched beneath his chin. "One more," she said softly yet teasingly as, with that single finger, she guided his lips back to hers.

This kiss was softer than the previous with their lips ghosting in feather-soft brushes while forming together. Shinji's fingers drifted from her hair to skim down her neck till his strong hands were holding her delicately by her throat.

Sighing in content, Juliana drew back just enough to offer him a teasing grin. She licked her lips and took a deep breath. "I think that was sufficient."

Shinji, being who he was, just couldn't help himself and said sarcastically and suggestively, "You sure? I've got more than enough DNA to share with you if you need it."

Laughter, bright and delicate, danced the cool air about them as Juliana brought a hand to swat at his shoulder. "Where are your manners, Shinji Hirako?"

"Hiyori smacked those out of my centuries ago."

Juliana chuckled as her eyes turned down to watch her hands set to his chest. "Tell me something, Shinji. Why do I believe everything you have told me as if everything you have said has solidified some sort of inborn confusion that has been tumbling about within me since I was born?"

Shinji arched a brow as he regarded her flatly. "I'm not sure you're ready to have that question answered yet."

Juliana pressed her lips thin in pondering thought. "I think I already know what you're going to tell me."

Shinji tipped his head and threaded a set of thing fingers into her thick hair. He watched the way his paler flesh melded with the chestnut coloration of her hair. "And what's that?"

"That somehow you are immortal, this Kazumi woman was your lover years and years ago, and she was reborn as me after her death. Then, by some odd coincidence, you and I met in that coffee shop by fate thus opening the flood gates for our dreams, our building feelings for each other, and why I trust you implacably."

"You trust me that much?"

Juliana nodded as she took a deep breath. "I was terrified of that man, Aizen. When he called me Kazumi, I felt a quick prick of rage before becoming frightened. I felt sick to my stomach just to be close to him, and when he kissed me, I wanted to fight against him and scream at him." She turned her gaze down to watch her fingers play with his shirt. "Shinji,' she began to say, 'I saw that… thing…the day when I fainted on you. I not only felt it but I saw the horrific creature, and I heard its hollow cry. I also heard everything you said to me."

Lifting her gaze, she looked to his astonished face. "I knew you wanted to fight it. I don't know why, but I knew that you wanted to kill it, but you didn't want to leave my side. Then, suddenly, your friend arrived."

"Friend? You saw Ichigo? How? I thought you had fainted?"

"I think I came to for a short while, just long enough to him kill that creature with his sword. Then I think I blacked out again. When I woke up, your friend was gone."

Shinji was stunned - silent.

"When we were at the museum, I know what you saw in that hallway. I saw them too, those green eyes." Juliana shivered, leaning herself forwards till she was pressed against his body. "I felt such an overwhelming presence reaching out towards me, such evil intentions."

Frowning, he wrapped his arms about her shoulders to hug her tightly to him. She had seen everything, and he had hoped to have spared her the horrors of it all. There was no doubt in his mind now that she was Kazumi reborn. She had seen the Hollow, Ichigo, and the Arrancar.

"Why didn't you say anything earlier?" he asked quietly.

"I didn't want you to think I was crazy."

Her voice had gone so soft - a subtle whisper. Shaking his head, Shinji tightened his embrace about her and nuzzled a cheek to her hair. "I wouldn't have thought any less of you. In fact, I would have been very relieved."

"Really? Why?"

"All that you just said proves my theory," he told her with a comforting smile touching his thin lips. "You see, for you to have been able to have experienced any of those things you would need to have some spiritual awareness in you, and a good deal of spiritual awareness at that. Normal people can't see Hollows or Ichigo, who is a Soul Reaper, and, normally, for a human to have any spiritual awareness, they must either be psychic, to some degree, had experienced a near-death experience, or had been born from another who is spiritually aware."

"There goes your theory,' she said with a slight smirk, 'my parents are not even aware that I stopped believing in Santa Claus when I was nine. There is no way I was born with any special ability."

"Since you are obviously spiritually aware and your parents obviously have none, then your ability comes from the fact that the soul born into you was Kazumi's soul and, somehow, you have retained much of her abilities."

"So, she and I are in one in the same then?"

"Perhaps," he said softly while playing with a long lock of her hair. He watched intently as he draw the gathered strands away from her then let the hairs slide through his fingers.

"I see. That's why I know I'm already in love with you."

Shinji grabbed her by the shoulders, quickly pulling her away from him. The move was so rapid that Juliana yelped, her eyes taking on a look of shock and confusion. "What did you just say?"

A deep blush took her cheeks as she lowered her eyes. "Nothing. I didn't say…"

"Yes you did," Shinji muttered. Their eyes locked, his burning with intensity and hers showing fear. "Say it again."

"I…can't," Juliana stumbled over her words.

"Yes you can. After all, you said those exact same words quite often back home."

"Home?" Juliana's mind began to haze over as she found herself captured by his gaze.

"Yeah, the home where Kazumi and I,' he sighed and restated, 'where we were together."

Juliana frowned ever so softly. "I don't know any place…"

"It has been one-hundred years since either of us was there."

"Shinji…"

He pressed his lips to her forehead. "I'm jumping ahead. We'll get to that later. Why don't I take you to meet my associates?"

The gentleness of his kiss eased the butterflies that decided to start a war within her stomach. The direction their conversation turned had her feeling trepidation and had her heart pounding faster and faster with each word he said. "Why do you want me to meet them?"

"They all knew Kazumi when she was alive, when she and I were together. If they can see her within you, then I know my theory is right. You may also recognize them."

"You know? If I had not experienced all that I have this past week, I would call you insane."

"Probably, but you love me too much," he said with a wickedly handsome grin.

Juliana laughed as a blush seeped along her cheeks. Gently, she brush her fingers along his sharply grinning features. "Yes,' she said softly - passionately, 'because I love you."

**J**uliana sighed heavily and stopped in her tracks as her honey touched eyes looked up to a massive metal door that loomed at least two stories above her. If she had not felt uncomfortable before, she sure felt uncomfortable now as she stood beneath the shadow of the massive warehouse. She could feel her heart pounding rapidly within her chest as it slowly sank down into her belly. This wasn't going to go well. She just knew it. Then again, these people were Shinji's friends, so why should she feel worried?

Shinji could see worry knitting her face and, frowning, stepped next to her to trail his fingers along the back of her shoulders. "You alright?" he asked her.

"Apprehensive," she answered, twisting her lips in thought as her eyes drifted to him then back to the door then back to him. "I feel as if I'm walking to my grave. I don't know what to expect. What should I expect, Shinji?"

When her eyes were back on him, he shrugged his slender shoulders. "I told you that my associates all knew Kazumi, so they won't do anything or say anything that will upset you. Well, maybe one, so don't pay attention to the short blond girl. She was the one who was screaming at me through the phone the day we met."

"Oh…" She scrunched her nose

Chuckling, he shook his head and lifted a hand to brush the back down her hair. "Relax." He pressed a kiss to the top of her head. "Everything will be fine."

Her honey kissed eyes closed, and she nodded beneath his kiss and caress then drew in a breath as she attempted to steady herself.

"Let's go."

Seconds later, the old door groaned open with a grated metal on metal sound as Shinji pushed upon it.

"Give it back, you son-of-a-bitch!"

"I've had enough of your mouth, Hiyori, especially tonight! You promised us that you would be on your best behavior, you short brat, but so far you're not keeping your word."

"If you don't give me back my sandal, I'm going to shove my other one so far up your ass…."

Juliana took a step back as she was met by a borage of howling and bellowing. Her eyes blinked rapidly as they adjusted from the bright sunlight to the dimness of the interior room. When her sight stabilized, she saw a scene playing out before her that had her shivering. A young woman, perhaps no older than she, was trying to claw and climb her way up a tall man with silver hair who held a sandal above his head. He was trying to push her off, but the girl clung to him like glue.

Another tall man with long locks of wavy blond was trying to placate the other two. "Hiyori, be quiet," he said in a calm and tender voice. "You promised Shinji you would keep yourself under control so not to scare this poor girl. Let's keep to our promise, shall we?"

"Speaking of Shinji and the poor girl," another woman muttered dryly from her position on a couch. Juliana saw her point to the door after adjusting a pair of dark glasses on the tip of her nose.

The room fell silent, very silent, and the eyes of seven individuals turned on her. Juliana felt suddenly very ill. She took another step back till she felt Shinji's hands touch upon her shoulders, squeezing with a reassuring squeeze.

"Is that her? I can't tell with the sun right behind them." This time a green-haired girl spoke up, leaning over a couch so far that she looked like she would slip right off due to the skin tight jumpsuit of white that she wore. A man next to her with a wide afro hairstyle and sunglasses grabbed her before she hit the floor.

"I would think so, unless our boy Shinji has picked up another girlfriend," the man said with a deep voice that chortled in amusement.

The man with the silver hair replied with an unamused grunt. "Don't be stupid,' he snarled, 'of course that's her. Can't you feel it?"

He walked about the couch towards a single chair, and Juliana gulped, pressing back to Shinji, when she saw him flip a large knife within a gloved hand.

A bit of unease fluttered about within her stomach. "Shinji," she whimpered softly.

Shinji frowned heavily as he glanced over her shoulder to see her paling features. He reached over her shoulder to touch the back of his hand to her cheek. Her flesh was cool. "You sure you're feeling alright?"

"I'm not sure."

"Take a few deep breaths. You're just feeling a little overwhelmed right now. My guess, you're feeling their combined Spiritual Pressure because of Kazumi's residual spiritual awareness. It'll dissipate shortly, once you get used to them again."

Juliana frowned and pressed herself closer to Shinji. "My body feels heavy, as if it's being pulled down to the floor."

"Yep," he chuckled softly. "Spiritual Pressure will do that to you. Just keep breathing nice and slow. If it gets worse, let me know and I'll tell those jack-asses to tone it down. Knowing them, they're testing you to see if you can feel them."

Across the room, Mashiro pursed her lips and swooned. "Look at them. They're so adorable together. That has to be Kazumi."

Next to her, Love tipped his head and muttered under his breath. "Something's wrong with her."

"Is she going to be okay?" Mashiro asked, looking towards Hachi with fear showing in her eyes.

The oldest looking Visored frowned, his kind and gentle eyes watching the way Shinji comforted the young human. "I suspect she is feeling our Spiritual Pressure and is reacting to it, but that is good. Remember, the Kazumi we knew had sensitive spiritual awareness."

Kensei grinned. "No shit,' he chuckled, 'that woman could sense a Hollow before the Garganta began to open."

"Go check on her, Hachi." Mashiro pouted towards the pink-haired and mustache wearing Visored.

Smiling, Hachi glanced to Mashiro with a shake of his head. "Let's leave her be. She's with Shinji now, so she will be fine."

"Feel better?" Shinji asked Juliana after she took a moment to compose herself with a set of deep breaths.

She nodded with a quivering smile. "Yes."

"Good." He gave her a gentle push, urging her further into the massive construct. "Come on. Let's go say hello." They took a few steps, but those steps were heavy and weighted. Shinji rolled his eyes and leaned to whisper to her, "If you don't relax, you're going to make me look back. I'll have to throw you over my shoulder and carry you over to them. They'll think I've kidnapped you."

Juliana didn't laugh. She was too busy staring at the small group; they all stared at her in return. Her attention was drawn away when Shinji stepped to her side, taking her hand and grinning to her. He gave her a tug, and they walked on together.

Surprise took her when they finally came to stand before the group. She had expected Shinji's friends to be around his age, but they were not. A few seemed older than him, a couple younger, and the large man could be pushing sixty! Not a single one of them said anything to her. They just eyed her skeptically and cautiously. Juliana felt her throat go dry as a lump formed tightly within, and she pressed herself closer to Shinji's side, grasping his arm with her free hand.

To her shock and her anger, he stepped away from her. He wasn't about to let her hide behind him. No, he was going to let her stand there and feel uncomfortable beneath the judgmental stares. A glare of disdain was given to him, but he only grinned back to her.

"Pardon me, but you must be Juliana."

Juliana's honey colored eyes blinked then widened as the large man stepped away from the sofa, taking rather gentle steps towards her. There was an intimidation factor to him and his oddness yet an aura of gentility that also offered a touch of comfort. Was that pink hair or a skull cap? What was with the pink mustache? Juliana felt her body react as he stepped closer causing her to step back, but she found herself bumping against an arm pressed to her back. She glanced over her shoulder to see Shinji looking towards the coming man with a flat and unreadable expression. When she looked forwards, she saw that the larger man was smiling to her, his eyes warm and comforting as he reached out to take one of her hands, engulfing her hand within his massive fingers.

"Welcome, Juliana. We have been expecting you," he said in a jovial, deep voice.

The fear Juliana expected to feel with this man looming over her never came. In fact, there was nothing frightening about him at all.

"Juliana,' Shinji said her name to gain her attention, and when she looked at him, he smiled softly to her, 'allow me to introduce Hachigen Ushoda."

The pink-haired man's smile grew at his introduction.

"Hello," she responded with a quivering voice that held a touch of her English accent. "It is a pleasure to meet you."

"My, what a sweet voice you…" The man's next word caught within his throat as his eyes narrowed then went wide with surprise. He looked directly to Shinji as he drew in a breath and muttered, "Shinji, her eyes."

Shinji nodded. "Yeah, I know." He then smiled down to Juliana. "Let's go meet the others, alright?"

Hachi felt his heart slam within his large chest. Honey eyes! As the two stepped away, he turned around to face the group and all of their eyes met. They were waiting for some sign from him to confirm theirs and Shinji's suspicions. That sign was a quiet and curt nod of his head.

Mashiro couldn't control herself any longer. She was squirming with such happiness that the exclamation upon her face did little justice to express her delight. Chuckling, Love had to set a hand upon her shoulder just so she wouldn't wiggle off the sofa and onto to the floor.

"I know it's her. Did you see Hachi nod? It has to be her," squeaked the excitable Visored.

"Let's wait and see," he told her with a gentle pat to her shoulder.

"Stop squirming,' Hiyori hissed to the girl next to her, 'or I'll glue your ass down."

Pouting, the green-haired Visored looked to her shorter comrade. "Aren't you a tad bit excited, Hiyori? You and Kazumi were…"

"Shut up," Hiyori snarled through tightening jaws. With a growl, she crossed arms to her small chest, pressed into the couch then turned her eyes away.

Mashiro frowned, looking from the angered Hiyori then up to Love. The man shook his head with a soft shrug of his shoulders, a silent 'just let it go.' Mashiro sulked. This young woman had to be Kazumi. Sure, she was just a reincarnated form and not physically the same as Kazumi, but there were many similarities that Mashiro could point out right away. Sure, Juliana's hair was a bit lighter than Kazumi's had been, missing the natural red high-lights, and her body was not as full as Kazumi's body had been, but Mashiro could see the color of Juliana's eyes were the same honey tone and her features were the exact same. The greatest similarity was the small aura that surrounded Juliana, it was the same aura as Kazumi's aura had been - warm and inviting - familiar.

"Juliana, these are my associates."

Juliana's lips drew in to a soft smile as she offered a somber nod. "Hello."

There went Mashiro, springing off the sofa and launching herself towards Juliana. Love tried to snag her but the rail thin girl slipped easily out of his reach. "I'm so happy to meet you!" she squealed as she collided with Juliana.

"Mashiro!" yelled Shinji, ducking out of the way from the flying Visored. "What are you doing?" he snapped, watching as Juliana stumbled back once the green-haired Visored locked onto her.

The strength of the bubbly girl's hug almost crushed the wind right out of Juliana's lungs. "Me…too," she sputtered.

Mashiro burst in to giggles as she continued to hug Juliana, unaware that Shinji had recovered from his shock and was now standing at her side, glaring dangerously. "Juliana, this is Mashiro Kuna. Let me just…" he muttered, snagging a hold of the back of Mashiro's collar to pull her away. It took some effort but, finally, the other Visored reluctantly let go - pouting. "There,' he groaned, looking from the former Lieutenant of Squad Nine then to Juliana as he offered her an apologetic smile, 'sorry about that."

Air! Sweet air flowed into her lungs once the powerful but thin girl was pulled off of her. Blushing, she smiled to Shinji then to Mashiro. "Hello, Mashiro."

Mashiro squealed when she saw Juliana's honey kissed eyes up close.

Shinji dropped Mashiro to the floor then ordered her back to the couch. She darted away to Rose's side to whisper into his ear. Groaning and rolling his eyes, Shinji slapped a palm to his face. "I've tried to talk the others into getting her some Prozac but she would drain the world's supply in less than a month."

Juliana chuckled softly. "She's just excitable. For some reason she reminds me of a puppy, except she's not piddling all over the floor."

Shinji cracked a laugh.

"So, Juliana is it?"

Shinji's eyes lost all amusement at the sound of a flat and edgy voice. He and Juliana turned their attention to the single chair and to the very imposing and muscular man sitting upon it. Kensei's eyes were locked on the young woman standing next to Shinji with such intensity that Juliana winced. She nodded in reply, unable to make a sound. The man frightened her, and Shinji made a point in his head to beat some politeness into Kensei.

Feeling the silver-haired man's eyes dig into her, Juliana pressed herself to Shinji, and the moment her body touched his, she felt a growl vibrate through him.

Shinji didn't like the tone in Kensei's voice, but when did he ever? This man, this ex-Captain of Squad Nine turned Visored, wasn't one for polite hellos. Shinji especially did not like the fact that Kensei was trying to intimidate Juliana by staring at her while slowly increasing his Spiritual Pressure. No, that would not do. Though he really had no personal issue with the man, Shinji never liked the way the other ex-Captain preferred intimidation than pleasantries.

"Yeah,' Shinji replied, his voice tightening, 'this is Juliana. Give the attitude a rest, Kensei."

The impressive man huffed, shook his head then shrugged his exposed shoulders. That was all he had to say on the subject. Honestly, he didn't care if she was the reborn Kazumi or not, as long as she didn't get in the way of their plans. He didn't say anything as he stood from his chair, turned then walked away into the belly of the warehouse.

"Did I do something wrong to upset him?" Juliana enquired as she watched, with some relief, the man vanish.

Frowning, Shinji shook his head. "No. Kensei's…well, just ignore him."

"Can we get this over with, Shinji?" Lisa asked from her position on the couch. "Love and I were going to do some training before dinner."

"Fine." Shinji groaned, waving a hand to dismiss her comment. "We can do the short version of introductions since you can't keep your skirt on." He ignored the hot glare sent to him from behind Lisa's glasses, then he turned to Juliana and gave her a playful wink. "The girl giving me the look of death is Lisa Yadomaru, and the guy next to her is Rojuro Otoribashi."

The thin, blond man offered a polite nod. "Rose shall do just fine, Juliana."

There was something in his voice that melted away the remaining worry that lingered within Juliana, especially over Kensei's rude departure. "Nice to meet you," said Juliana with a blush as the man's very sensual gaze tickled her with a sense of seduction.

Shinji muttered under his breath, fixing Rose with a controlled glare. "Alright, that's enough of that," he grunted, pointing over to the last remaining guy. "That's Love Aikawa."

Love offered Juliana a two finger solute and a dashing grin. Though odd that he was with his black hair poofed up in a star-shaped afro, he didn't seem frightening or imposing at all, not with the dark sunglasses over his eyes. A warm smile took her lips as she nodded back to him.

"And that,' Shinji grinned, enjoying the term 'that' when motioning towards the sulking and pissed off girl in the red and white capris and jacket combination, 'is the harpy on the other end of the phone."

Amazed at the idea that such a tiny girl could produce such ear piercing sounds stunned Juliana, but it was the look of deep-rooted hate the girl gave her that had knots forming once again in Juliana's stomach. Always being polite as she had been taught, she smiled. "It's nice to meet…"

"Save it," snapped Hiyori as she stood from the couch. Her lips tucked in to a smirk as she saw Juliana wince. Short but direct steps took her to stand right before Juliana, and one glance to Shinji told him to keep his mouth shut. "I don't care what he says," she growled, pointing to Shinji. "You're not Kazumi."

The frightened whimper that Shinji heard slip from Juliana's lips put him on the defense. He understood Hiyori's suspicion and defensive reaction, but he wouldn't put up with Hiyori verbally assaulting Juliana. "Hiyori, step back," he growled harshly while taking a determined step towards Hiyori.

Hiyori's eyes narrowed dangerously, not towards Shinji but to Juliana. She leaned close to Juliana, about to open her mouth, when a strong hand fell upon her shoulder. Her jaws clamped shut as her enraged eyes turned to focus on Love, who was now standing behind her. It was then she noticed that Rose and Mashiro had moved forwards along with Hachi. Lisa, however, still remained on the sofa yet her body posture was tight - ready to act.

"What the Hell is this?" Hiyori growled, looking to all the others. "Are you all blind?" She pointed a finger to Juliana's stunned features. "This isn't Zumi! She's just some stupid human!"

Shinji frowned, sighing heavily as he heard his associate use the nickname that she had given his lover over a hundred years ago. Now he knew where Hiyori's words were coming from, not out of distrust or anger but out of pain and sorrow. It wasn't the rest of them who were blind to what they all saw within Juliana, it was Hiyori who refused to accept the fact that she saw the resemblance as well.

Shinji was about to say something when he felt the body next to him tighten and start to shrink away. No! This was supposed to be a wonderful reunion so there was no way he was going to let Hiyori's unsettled issues screw it up. Before he could do anything or say anything, he felt Juliana turn to him, press to him with her arms folded between their bodies, and bury her face to his shoulder. She turned her face away from the fuming Hiyori and swallowed a whimper.

Now he was pissed.

"Step back, Lieutenant," Shinji growled darkly.

He had not used that formal term in reference to Hiyori for decades. Though he hated to do so, referring to her by her old title was a way of him reminding her who he had been to her and who he could become. Though he wasn't one to show or voice his displeasure in the form of anger, Shinji could feel his anger quickly forming to rage when he felt a wet tear slip between the skin of his neck and the collar of his shirt.

Hachi frowned as well when he saw the mortal struggling to keep back her tears. Shaking his head, he reached out to set a wide hand, a hand that almost spanned Juliana's entire back, to offer her a comforting pat. Hiyori had done it now. Hearing Shinji call her Lieutenant was the last straw. Hachi looked to Hiyori to see her eyes go wide in a look of rejection toward Shinji. In a sense, she deserved being knocked down a level. Hachi also saw Love's grip upon Hiyori's shoulder tighten, as well as Rose holding Mashiro back by the arm as he shook his head slowly. Lisa sat in her place on the sofa, though her eyes were digging daggers into the short Visored's back.

"Shinji…" Hiyori began to say, her voice falling with uncertainty as she looked up to him in confusion.

"Get out of my sight," Shinji muttered to Hiyori flatly.

Damn it, he didn't want to say that to Hiyori, especially now that he understood why she was so upset, but it was Juliana who was silently crying against him and not Hiyori. It was Hiyori who had spat such cruel and uncaring words, not Juliana. Juliana had done nothing but greet the others politely and with respect before Hiyori tore into her!

For once, Hiyori was without words. Her anger left her as she watched him wrap his arms about Juliana, pulling her against him. She watched in stunned silence as Shinji turned his attention from her to Juliana, comforting the young woman with soft strokes along her back and gentle whispers that fell quiet against her chestnut hair. Hiyori couldn't lie to herself. She saw what everybody else did. Juliana's eyes, her hair, and that little touch of Spiritual Pressure residue that trickled from the human were Kazumi's signatures.

Juliana was thought to be just another human, and that's what had gotten Hiyori so upset. No human, reincarnated or not, could have the same Spiritual Pressure as a deceased soul unless they were born from or still were, in some way, a Soul Reaper - a Shinigami. With a growl, Hiyori smacked Love's hand away from her shoulder and, without a look to the others, she spun about and stalked away.

Once Hiyori had disappeared, Shinji sighed. "I'm sorry," he said gently, disappointed more in himself than with Hiyori's outburst. "She promised me that she would keep her temper under control."

Hachi smiled as he observed how Shinji comforted the silently crying Juliana in his arms. "Don't let Hiyori bother you, Juliana," he said in as cheerful a voice as he could gather. "She can be a very difficult soul at times."

Juliana stayed quiet, refusing to release Shinji. With a heavy sigh, Shinji looked to his associates before closing his eyes while offering Juliana a soft nuzzle. "I did not want this meeting to end up like this. Please believe me," he said softly, apologetically.

"Shinji." Rose stated, "Why don't you take Juliana to get settled for her visit? Hiyori will have calmed down by tonight. Perhaps then you can reintroduce the two."

Shinji gently eased Juliana away and smiled in silence as he brushed at her damp cheek.

"That girl needs a swift kick in the ass." Lisa finally spoke as she stood from the couch, walking to the group. "Don't worry. Not only can we all see Kazumi in you, we can feel her too." She looked to Love. "Come on. Let's go spar for a while and leave these two alone." The man she was speaking to grinned then followed Lisa from the room.

Hachi agreed with his own delighted smile. "A wise suggestion. Mashiro,' he said to the green-haired girl who was staring with dreamy eyes to Shinji and Juliana, 'would you care to go with me to the store? After all, I did promise to make a delicious dinner for us all tonight. Rose, how about you?"

Rose smiled warmly. "Sounds like a plan. Come on, Mashiro." He gave a gentle shove to Mashiro, guiding her away from the couple. "Let's leave them alone."

What a relief! Shinji nodded a silent thanks to the others as they departed the building. When the sound of the metal door scraped against the floor then scraped back to clanked shut, he sighed heavily and drew his arms from around Juliana. "Hey," he whispered, brushing his hands up her arms and over her shoulders so he could cup her face in an attempt to guide her gaze back up to him.

Sniffling, Juliana allowed him to do so. Her watery eyes were redlined and puffy. "She hates me, and I have done nothing to her," she whispered softly as she wiped at her tear streaked cheeks with the palm of her hand.

"No she doesn't," replied Shinji with a tender smile given in an offering of comfort. His thumbs caressed along her jaw line, stroking her skin as he set his forehead to hers. "Hiyori has some issues she hasn't come to terms with in a very long time. She doesn't do well when it comes time for her to face the pain of those bottled up emotions." He pressed a kiss to her forehead then drew back. "Why don't we go get you settled? The others won't be back till this evening so we have a while to relax and talk. How's that?"

"Where will I be staying?" she asked, turning her eyes to the inside of the building.

For the first time she looked upon the partially destroyed cement structure and frowned. The place looked like a warzone, half of the upper floors of the main room were nothing more than mangled pieces of cement and metal.

"My room."

"Your room?" squeaked Juliana as her eyes went wide and she looked back to him. "Isn't that a bit…"

"What's wrong? Wasn't I comfortable enough for you the last night in _your_ bed?"

"Shinji," Juliana groaned playfully, her eyes lowering and her head shaking.

"Yes?" he goaded with that smug smile of his upon his thin, wide lips.

"Oh…never mind," she mumbled then chuckled as she felt him nudge her hip.

Grinning, Shinji pulled her after him. As they disappeared into the hallway, he spoke loud enough for anybody to hear. "You love me!"

21


	6. Forgive Me

Honey Eyes A Bleach Fanfiction S . Lazic

Forgive Me

**A**mazingly, dinner with the group of six new acquaintances went rather well. Hachi, no matter what anybody had said, was a skilled cook who took great pride when Juliana complimented the grand meal he prepared of traditional Japanese cuisine. Though Juliana wasn't too keen on little things that squirmed, his dish of braised squid in sweet ginger and spring onion sauce delighted her palette. Juliana enjoyed sitting back and listening to the odd circle of associates, for she could not call their bickering a point of friendship, move from a rather intelligent conversation to, well, a full blown insanity chat.

The amusing scenario started with Kensei and Love bickering over something that the other had boasted about only to have Rose try to intervene, indicating with politeness that the language the other two men were using was not suited for either the dinner table or for their guest. Juliana thought the gesture rather sweet till Kensei made the comment that a woman wasn't a woman till she could stand up to a man's mouth. His statement was obviously directed to her, as his eyes were locked upon her and his grin was truly wicked. To his statement she politely remarked that she had no problem standing up to a man's mouth, especially if the mouth just happened to belong to a certain blond who was sitting next to her. The command had Shinji choking, Kensei laughing loudly, and Mashiro proclaiming the need for CPR - a skill she neither had a license to perform or the training to succeed.

Shinji cast a horrified look of embarrassment to Juliana only to see a wickedly smart grin resting upon her lips and those luscious, honey touched eyes of hers sparkling with delight.

"She got you there!" Love howled, slapping Kensei on the back before looking across the table to Shinji. "She hasn't lost her touch."

"Tell me about it." Shinji smirked with a shake of his head.

Juliana arched a brow, looking between the two men only to end up squaring her eyes with Kensei and Love. "What do you mean by that?"

Mashiro giggled from Juliana's other side. "Kensei used to enjoy baiting you with rude comments just to see how far he could push Shinji in to reacting, but you were always able to counter act him with one of your own."

"It was a game between you two," laughed Love.

"An unhealthy obsession on Kensei's part," Rose put in with a dashing smile. "Though, highly entertaining for the rest of us."

"I wouldn't call it unhealthy," Kensei muttered under his breath then shrugged his bare shoulders as he leaned back in his chair.

"Most of the time,' Shinji added, poking at a poor squid with his chop-sticks, 'I was too busy deciding who to kill to really get involved."

Juliana smiled sweetly to him and leaned to nudge him with her shoulder. "Was it really that bad?"

"You have no idea," muttered Shinji under his breath.

"Tell me,' Lisa spoke up for the first time from the far end of the table, 'do you remember anything?"

The laugher of the group suddenly stopped.

Shinji sighed, slowly lowering his chop-sticks to his plate as he leaned back in his chair. He had hoped that their conversations would stay far away from the pressing issue that sat next to him. He did not want to push Juliana too far too quickly, preferring to ease her into the struggle to prove his theory.

Juliana, however, did not mind the questions at all. She smiled and answered, "Not yet." But then her words stopped as she thought back to dream and the night Sōsuke Aizen approached her. With a shiver, she turned her eyes down to her lap where her fingers twisted her napkin - twisting it tightly - till a hand slip over hers, squeezing gently. Shinji's hand brought her eyes back up; he was smiling softly to her.

The group seemed to pass each other known expressions of concern. They all saw it, the look of uncertainty washing over Juliana's face. They also saw Shinji's reaction, the softening of his eyes in sympathy. They were hiding something.

Love was the one who broke the tension by groaning, "When is Hiyori getting back? She's missing dinner." He stretched his arms up over his head.

"I'm not quite sure. How long has she been gone?" Hachi asked, looking to all the faces at the table.

"Since she went storming off earlier," replied Lisa with a shrug of her shoulders. "She'll find her way back sometime after dark, or when it starts getting cold outside and the monsters come out."

"Should somebody go find her?" asked Juliana to not a direct individual even though her attention shifted to Shinji.

Shinji shrugged his thin shoulders. "Probably not a good idea. When she gets in these moods, it's best for everybody to just let her be. She'll cool off and come back on her own."

"But where would she go?" Juliana frowned as a tinge of guilt took her.

Mashiro smiled to Juliana. "Up to the roof top. It's quiet up there, and she seems to like it."

"Oh, I see." Juliana sighed, her lips twisting in a deeper frown till a deep groan of annoyance broke her coming depression.

Kensei growled, leaning his head back with his palms over his eyes. "Let the little grouch go. She's a big girl and can handle herself just fine."

"Kensei's right," Shinji said softly. "It's best if you let her go for a little while."

"I can't just sit here. I feel guilty," Juliana muttered, slumping back in her chair with a heavy sigh.

Love laughed as he eyed her. "You're more than welcome to spar with us."

"Spar?" she inquired with a brow of curiosity arching. "Spar with what? Sock-Em Boppers?"

Kensei laughed boastfully and shot an amazed look to Shinji. "You haven't told her, have you?"

"No, Kensei," Shinji groaned, dragging fingers down his sharp features. "I've had other things on my mind."

Lisa snickered from over her teacup. "Yeah, I'm sure you have."

"You're a sick girl, Lisa," Shinji muttered as that trademark dead-pan look crossed his features.

"All in good time," said Hachi jovially as he stood from the table. "We should not bother Miss. Stanford with too many questions so quickly."

"Yeah," Mashiro huffed, sticking her tongue out to Kensei and Love. "She might leave again."

Juliana chuckled and was about to say something in return when she heard Shinji mutter quietly from next to her - _over my dead body_. His possessive comment brought a soft almost embarrassed smile to her lips.

"Come on!" Kensei barked, pointing to Shinji as the taller, stronger man stood up then slammed his palms to the table top. "Ichigo said you've been going soft on him. You haven't gone pansy on us, have you?"

Love grinned from ear to ear as he too stood from the table then laced his fingers, bringing his arms out before him to stretch and crack each finger one at a time. "Amazing. It only took a century and a few years, but I believe our Shinji here can be labeled whipped."

Juliana blinked while Mashiro gasped, peeking about Kazumi's reincarnation to look directly towards Shinji. Shinji's lips coiled in to a thin yet wide and wicked grin. His eyes narrowed and locked upon the two ex-Captains with a destructive gaze.

"Ichigo said that, did he?" The excitement of a spar was very tempting and sounded upon Shinji's voice.

Within the pit of Shinji's stomach twisted a slick knot of excitement to the prospect of Juliana watching him beat the snot out of Ichigo, but it was too early to expose her to the brutality of their reality, of the truth. Shinji didn't want her becoming frightened before he had a chance to explain everything to her, explain their past, but these bastards wanted to throw her right into the lion's den. Doing so was their way of trying to force Kazumi's memories to the surface. They all missed the old Kazumi, but scaring Juliana wasn't their best option to recovering any cell memories locked within her.

"He did," stated Lisa as she shook her head, not wanting to get drawn into a macho battle of muscle and stupidity added with a dash of hormones.

"So what's it going to be?" Kensei grinned mockingly as he leaned forwards.

"Maybe he's too afraid to get his boney ass kicked in front of his girl," chided Love.

Shinji's grin only darkened as he eyed the two. "Boney, huh?" He chuckled, crossing arms to his chest. "I had no idea you two were so busy staring at my ass."

Rose shook his head, unable to keep a faint smirk from showing upon his lips.

Mashiro giggled. "Why don't you ask Juliana if Shinji's butt is boney? I bet she could tell you…righmmpffhh."

"I prefer to keep that information to myself, thank you," Juli chuckled as she had clamped a hand over Mashiro's mouth to keep the bubbly girl from saying anything too personal. "I don't see any issue with a friendly match. I must admit that I am curious." She smirked and cast her eyes to Shinji. Though he did not look to her, his grin still held and his eyes had taken on a hungered look of anticipation.

"Then it's settled," cackled Love as he clapped Kensei on the back again. "Get your swords, boys. Let's head out."

Juliana's eyes blinked. "Swords? Nobody mentioned anything about swords!"

Mashiro giggled as she tugged Juliana's hand from her mouth. "Yep. It wouldn't be a spar without their Zanpakutou."

Juliana frowned. Shinji never mentioned anything about swords, but it was probably too late to ask him for an explanation as he was already up and moving from the table to follow after the others. "I have no idea what that means, but fighting with swords is silly and dangerous. Somebody could get hurt."

Mashiro smiled brightly. "Don't you worry," she chimed, her smile brightening even more. "Shinji's one of the best! You and he use to spar all the time. But I think back then he let you win." She paused as she tapped a finger to her chin. "Come to think of it, I think he said it was because you liked to see him on his back."

Heat flooded Juliana's cheeks. She caught the double meaning in Mashiro's words as she watched Shinji casually strolling from the room, quickly glancing over his shoulder to her. He was still grinning, but it was the look of power in his eyes that had a shiver racing along her spine.

"You better go along with them, Rose," muttered Lisa as she stood to gather dishes. "Somebody needs to keep the hose handy to break them up."

Sighing, Rose stood as he adjusted a ruffled sleeve. "Though I would prefer to stay here and chat with Juliana over a cup of tea, I suppose I should see to the safety of our comrades. Those three with their Zanpakutou could bring this entire place down."

Juliana's eyes went wide as she looked to the taller man shrugging his delicate shoulders before turning to follow after the other three. Hachi chuckled, coming up from behind her to pat her shoulder. "He is only teasing, Miss. Stanford. Lisa and I will see to the dishes, then we can sit and chat while the others enjoy a moment of male bonding. Now, why don't you go rest for a little bit? I can bring you some tea in a little while if you would like?"

"Male bonding?" Juliana asked, peeking over her shoulder to see Hachi step across the small kitchen, or did the room only seem small due to his size?

"That's what we call it," Lisa told her as she stepped past with a pile of dishes in her hands. "Every once in a while we have to turn those three out to pasture for some exercise and let them beat each other to a pulp. It keeps them calm and controlled."

"It sure beats neutering them," Mashiro giggled, casting Juliana a naughty look.

Juliana's cheeks turned deep read even as Mashiro skipped away to help with the dishes. The comment brought a little chuckle from her, amusing as it was, but with a sigh, she looked towards the three, smiling as they began their cleaning chores. Still, Juliana felt a guilty over Hiyori storming off earlier. Shinji had tried to explain why Hiyori was so angry, but it did little good to comfort her guilt. If it was true that Hiyori still felt betrayed by Kazumi's death, then perhaps she was having difficulty accepting the suggested fact that Juliana could be Kazumi's reincarnated soul. After all, Juliana was still having difficulty stomaching the idea. There was only one thing to do.

"If you will excuse me, I'll be right back!" Juliana called to the three as she made a sprint for the door.

Hachi called, "If I were you, Miss. Stanford, I would stay clear of the upper floor for Shinji and the others will be starting their spar in a few minutes. You do not want to get caught in the cross fire."

"I appreciate the warning. I'll be back, and,' Juli stopped just outside the door, peeking back in with a warm smile, 'thank you, Hachi, for dinner. It was wonderful. I would appreciate some tea in a short while. I will not be long."

Hachi smiled a warm and pleased smile. "It was my pleasure. I'll bring your tea to Shinji's room shortly."

"Thank you!" she called out then was gone.

Quickly, she ran down the hall, past a few rooms, odd doors, passed the room she would be sharing with Shinji, and then turned a corner to rush up the stairs. The closer she got to the landing the louder voices could be heard. Kensei was saying something, it was not hard to miss his voice, and Love was laughing while Rose said something intelligent and calming. Shinji, though, was unheard.

The moment she dashed down the short hall to step foot upon the main floor, her eyes focused on Shinji. The group had split off in the center of the warehouse's first floor - Rose sitting calmly upon a hunk of upturned cement, Love leaning to the side with his arms crossed and grinning, while Kensei and Shinji were standing not too far away, quietly discussing the rules of their match.

"Three taps to fatal points wins." Kensei grinned as he tapped a small, sheathed dagger against the back of his shoulders with a bent up arm. He was looking to Shinji with an almost insane glaze to his eyes.

Shinji was standing calmly, seemingly adjusting the black and white tie he still wore about his neck, and there against his right leg rested another sheathed sword. "That's it?" he inquired with a chuckle and a slow shake of his head.

Kensei huffed, lifting his chin as he glared to Shinji. He added, "Under five minutes."

"Five minutes?" Shinji twisted his lips in thought then shrugged his shoulders. "Five minutes it is."

"Remember,' Rose called out, 'the first one to draw blood is out!"

"There's the hard part," chuckled Love, motioning to Kensei and Shinji. "These two trying to keep themselves under control is not safe already. Their moves are made to draw blood."

"Spars are for training, Love," Rose reminded the other pointedly. "Whenever you two are ready, we'll start."

"Get ready, blondie,' Kensei smirked, turning about as he stepped into place, 'your girl's going to have a lot of booboo's to kiss tonight!"

When the other's back was turned, Shinji stuck his pierced tongue out, then he smiled at that the thought of getting beaten up and covered in bruises, considering he could lie back and enjoy Juliana kissing each bruise with her soft lips. Why not let Kensei get a few good licks in?

"Shinji?"

Speaking of his girl, there she was - smiling ever so sweetly to him. "I don't think it's safe for you to watch, babe. You may want to stay downstairs for now. This will be over soon, and I'll be back down in a little while."

Juliana shrugged, lacing her fingers behind her back as she walked to him. "I know. Hachi said you three could bring the entire place down, but I wanted to come and wish you good luck any way."

"Oh, yeah?" Smirking, Shinji picked up Sakanade and took notice of Juliana eyeing the Zanpakutou. "Then wish me good luck and get your butt out of here. I'm not going to let you get hurt. It's going to get dangerous soon, so you should be clear of this area."

"Of course," she teased with a devious purr to her voice. "You're supposed to be showing off."

Shinji grinned while lifting his chin to show a smug, almost arrogant expression of pride. "It's just a natural urge, what can I say?"

"Fine. By the way, is there another door to the outside? I thought I might just go catch some fresh air."

Shinji arched a brow and pointed Sakanade towards the hall.  
"Back down the hall. It's the door on your right just before the stairs down. Just do me a favor," he said quickly, eying her warily. "Keep your cell on, will you?"

Smiling, Juliana nodded. "Of course."

"Hey, love birds!" Kensei called in irritation from across the room. He flipped his short Zanpakutou about to point towards Juliana. "Kiss him good luck already so I can kick his ass, will you? I don't have all night!"

Groaning, Shinji muttered a curse, but the curse died in his throat when Juli closed the distance between them just before she wrapped her arms about his shoulders, curled fingers to the back of his neck, and in a smooth motion arched her body against his till their lips connected in a soft and gentle caress. The kiss had his mind spinning. Her lips were so soft and warm and tasted of the sweet ginger glaze from their supper, but the kiss itself was strong enough to drag a shiver down Shinji's spine. His arms wrapped about her waist, pulling her roughly against him as he easily pick her up and off her feet.

He returned the kiss just as heatedly, his tongue parting her mouth to draw forth a moan from her as he swept the muscle forwards. The embrace lasted only a moment or two, no thanks to Kensei's very annoyed groan along with the cat-call whistle from Love.

Reluctantly, Shinji drew back to end the kiss. It had to be done, and he slowly set Juliana to the floor, waiting for her to get her footing before he released his hold upon her. "Now that was a good luck kiss."

Juliana's cheeks flushed red, but she was smiling shyly and sweetly. "What can I say?" she mewed softly as she pressed her body to his as she let a hand skim along his neck then under his jaw. "The idea of watching you fight excites me."

"Damn,' Shinji groaned as he felt her body press and sway sensually against him, 'you're cruel." Gripping her hips, he set her back with a smirk upon his lips. "If you want me to lose, please keep filling my mind with images of what I would love to do to you once this cat fight is over."

There went her lips turning up in a seductive smile as her devious fingers began a slow skip up his chest. "Oh, well, if you insist."

"Woman," groaned Shinji loudly while turning her about to give her a shove forwards with a smack on her rump. "Get out of here!"

The smack upon her backside brought a bright laugh from Juliana as she stumbled from the added push. "Fine! I'm going." She laughed then turned heading back to the hall.

"Hey!"

Shinji's call stopped her at the entry to the hall. She turned, looking to him curiously. "Yes?"

"Catch." Taking off his cap, he flipped it around before sending it sailing towards her. "Hold on to that for me." He winked at her before turning, tossing his Zanpakutou into the air and catching it perfectly before barking out to Kensei, "Let's do this!"

Juliana felt a shudder run down the inside of her spine to the power she felt radiating from Shinji. His cap she caught easily and held it to her chest as she watched him walk casually towards the center of the room where Kensei stood waiting. There was something in the way Shinji moved that had her full attention upon him, the aura about him had her heart pounding and her blood turning hot. The very idea that Shinji could fight with a sword had her entire body melting.

With a smirk, she flipped his cap over and slipped it onto her head. "Kick some ass."

**B**y the time Juliana had carefully climbed the outside stairs to the roof, the battle within had commenced. Shockwaves rattled the building, shaking the structure to the core and causing Juliana to stumble and curse when she almost slipped. What were those men doing? They were just sparing with swords so why did the entire building rumble? Men and their toys! Shaking her head, she managed to gain her footing and climb the remaining stairs to the rooftop where she set her last step and turned her eyes to the coming sunset.

How beautiful! The sky was painted in lovely colors of red tones mixing and blending with the blue highlights of the daylight, and across Karakura Town a blanket of dimness was starting to fall. In the distance she could see the canal and the water sparkling beneath the rays of the lowering sun. The view was nothing but spectacular, and it took her breath away.

However, the view wasn't what brought her up to the roof. No, Juliana was here to find Hiyori. And there she was, seated upon the edge of the roof and looking out to the canal. Remembering the power of the girl's outburst, Juliana took a deep breath to steady herself and her uneasy stomach. The last thing she wanted to do was upset Hiyori anymore.

"I know you're there," grumbled Hiyori as she tightened her arms about the one leg that was drawn up to her chest; the other was swaying slowly over the edge of the cement guardrail.

Juliana blinked. She had not said a word so how did Hiyori know she was there? Frowning, she took the first couple of steps across the rooftop, stopping to stay a safe and comfortable difference from the other woman. "I hope that I'm not bothering you," she said softly and with an insecure smile upon her lips. "Mashiro said you would be up here."

Hiyori snorted. "Is there something you want?"

"You missed supper."

"So?" Hiyori snapped with a shrug of her shoulders. "Big deal."

Juliana's lips twisted before she released a sickening breath of air. "Are you still upset at me?"

Groaning, Hiyori rolled her eyes. "Gee, whatever gave you that idea?" She turned her head to look over her shoulder, eyes instantly narrowing as she saw Juliana wearing one of Shinji's caps.

"What are you doing wearing that?" she asked with a violent snap to her voice.

Juliana smiled, offering a shrug in return. "Shinji is sparing with Kensei and Love and asked that I hold on to this for him."

Hiyori scoffed then turned away.

Taking a breath, Juliana moved to stand closer to Hiyori, afraid that if she got too close that she may anger the other woman. "I came to apologize," she said quietly as her arms came up to wrap about her upper body, not out of being cold but out of being vulnerable with a person who was no more than a stranger.

Hiyori's lips thinned, and she replied without looking back. "Did you? Wow. I feel special."

Juliana frowned, turning her gaze away. Mocking her only made her guilt grow heavier within her heart. "Shinji told me why you're so mad at me."

"Whoop-di-do," Hiyori muttered, lifting a hand and twirling a finger about. "Good for him, and good for you. Now, will you leave me alone?"

Juliana's eyes narrowed. "Why do you hate me so much? You don't even know me."

"I don't know you?" Hiyori hissed, coming to twist about till she was looking directly to Juliana. "I know you better than you think."

"No,' Juliana snapped, pointing a finger forwards, 'you do not know me - Juliana Stanford. You knew the Kazumi that Shinji thinks I once was, but that really doesn't give you the right to hate me right off the bat and be rude to me."

"I'm rude to everybody. Save the speech for somebody who cares."

Juliana growled. "Like Shinji and the others?"

Hiyori's lips thinned.

Sighing, Juliana lowered her arm as she gave a helpless shrug of her shoulders. "Does it bother you that much, Hiyori? Does it really bother you that Shinji and I are…"

Her words were cut off as she saw something cross over Hiyori's features that she wasn't expecting, a shadow of sadness. When Hiyori turned away, Juliana stepped closer. "He is wonderful, you know." she said softly - tenderly. "He is kind and gentle and protective."

"What do you expect?" Hiyori asked flatly as she turned her gaze to the setting sun. "He's Shinji Hirako, and you're you."

Sighing, Juliana shook her head as she took the brave steps needed to take her to the wall where she slowly sat to face the irritated Hiyori. "I don't want you to be mad at me, or at him. Shinji did what he thought was best by bringing me here. He really does believe that this Kazumi was…is a part of me. Believe me, I can understand how you and the others can be sensitive to this idea, and I'm not too comfortable with it either. But Shinji truly believes in his theory, so who am I to stand between him and proving that theory?"

"It's not that."

Juliana tipped her head. "Then what is it?"

When silenced answered her, Juliana frowned as she regarded Hiyori with a touch of growing irritation. When Hiyori didn't answer, just scowled and set her chin atop her knee, Juliana growled. "You know, I have never met anybody who could be so irrational and so arrogant to make a person feel guilty over an issue that is out of that person's hands! So Kazumi died!" she yelped, tossing her hands in the air. "You have no right to treat me as if I'm to blame for her murder!"

"Murder?" Hiyori asked, gasping as she looked back to Juliana with eyes full of shock. "Who told you that?"

Juliana blinked her eyes as confusion wrapped about her mind. Who exactly did tell her that? Sinking back just a bit and lowering her arms, she nipped upon her lower lip. "Well…nobody really."

"Wait…Shinji hasn't told you what happened to Kazumi?"

Juliana shook her head with a heavy sigh. "No. He hasn't wanted to talk about it."

Hiyori barked, "Typical!"

"I want to know the truth!"

"You…do?"

"Yes. Look,' she said softly, 'Shinji told me that you and Kazumi were really close, sisters almost, and when she died you felt abandoned and very hurt. Though I can't understand how one can feel that way if another was killed…"

"Kazumi wasn't killed," Hiyori growled and slowly looked away. "Not by another at least, and not by any Hollow either."

Tipping her head, Juliana frowned. "Then you tell me what happened, Hiyori. I want to understand. Please." Something within the other broke, and Juliana felt her stomach twist in knots as she watched Hiyori tuck herself closer and closer to her leg.

"Kazumi took her own life," whispered Hiyori as she set her cheek upon her knee.

Juliana's eyes went wide in complete shock and horror. Kazumi had taken her own life? How? Why? "Oh…" she breathed out ever so slowly.

"It wasn't long after we all came to the world of the living. Shinji knew before anybody else, including me, since Kisuke told him first." Shaking her head, Hiyori took a trembling breath. "I thought you would come with us. I never thought you would do something so stupid as to take your own life when you had Shinji and me waiting for you."

Turning her head, she looked to Juliana through building tears. "You and Shinji were so close to being a real family."

Tears? Hiyori was crying and it was all Juliana's, no, Kazumi's fault. She didn't know what to do or what to say. A part of her wanted to reach out to Hiyori with some offering of comfort but another part of her wanted to go back to Shinji and demand he tell her everything that happened with Kazumi. Now she understood what he had meant by wanting one night without thinking about her death. The pain he and Hiyori have felt all this time must have been horrendous. No wonder Hiyori was so upset with Juliana - no wonder.

"What do you mean that Shinji and I were close to being a family?" she asked.

Hiyori dragged a palm down a wet cheek. "I don't know. That's what Shinji had said not long before we were turned."

"I should go find Shinji and ask him to clarify all of this," Juliana whispered, losing herself to the very idea that Kazumi had committed suicide.

"No!" Hiyori screamed, turning upon the Juliana with wide, tear filled eyes. "Don't you dare tell Shinji I told you that! If you do, I'll really hate you."

Juliana blinked and leaned away as Hiyori screamed at her. "Hiyori, I didn't…"

"Your death nearly killed him. Do you have any idea what he went through being dishonored from the Seireitei then being dragged down to this rat's nest to keep from being destroyed as if he was some infectious disease?"

"No…"

"We were all treated like that, as if we were some sort of disease that was to be eradicated without a second thought. We were no longer friends or comrades to others whom we fought next to and bled with. We were nothing more than Aizen's experiments that went horribly wrong. To save our lives, it was either take refuge in this world or face execution."

Juliana sighed and lowered her head as she closed her eyes. "I'm so very sorry, but Shinji hasn't told me anything beyond the relationship that he and I had, and even that has been limited in detail. I didn't even know Shinji could use a sword! I didn't even know he knew how to fight, but Mashiro told me that he and I use to spar together and I would win."

Hiyori snorted, rolling her eyes. "Please, he let you win. But yeah, you and he could go for hours sparing. It was an amazing sight. You two were incredible to watch - poetry in deadly motion." Then she went quiet, somber as she closed her eyes and nuzzled her wet cheek to her knee. "Why did you do it?"

Juliana blinked to the softness that came from Hiyori's voice. "I wish I knew," she whispered softly, leaning forwards to brush a set of fingers across Hiyori's cheek, gathering some wet tears. "But I can say this, there must have been a damn good reason for Kazumi to do what she did knowing full well that her actions would cost her both you and Shinji."

That's when Hiyori broke. All those years - decades - of pent up anger, suffering and torment, of losing Kazumi exploded in a force of sobs. She flung herself onto Juliana, wrapping her arms tightly about her while crying. Juliana gasped at the sudden embrace, the trembling and sobbing that came falling against her. So much anguish could be heard within Hiyori's cries that she felt her heart break. She also came to realize that Hiyori had stopped using Kazumi's name in her statements but, instead, turned to directly referring to Juliana as if she was, in fact, Kazumi.

"Hiyori," she whispered, hugging the crying girl against her in the most comforting embrace.

The crying wouldn't stop. Hiyori just kept sobbing, and all Juliana could say was…

"Forgive me."

**T**he smile that touched Shinji's face was one of tenderness. He had only come upon Hiyori and Juliana a few seconds when he heard a pain filled sob erupt from Hiyori. He stopped in his tracks when he saw her small body, breaking in trembles, fall against Juliana and into a welcoming embrace. Neither one noticed him standing by the landing at the stairs. He took a quiet moment to watch the scene before him, the embrace and the compassion shared between the two women.

The sobs brought his heart to tighten within his chest, almost to the point that he winced in pain. Hiyori could be a loud mouthed, bad tempered harpy but she had feelings that often times the other Visoreds forgot existed. Among all of the Visoreds, only she and Shinji truly missed Kazumi since they both had shared a deep bond with the woman; though, he was surprised to see how quickly Hiyori broke down in tears enough to allow Juliana to hug her, console her.

He thought Hiyori would need more time to accept what he and the others already had, that Juliana was Kazumi, but surprisingly Hiyori was adjusting to the theory faster than expected. Not wanting to break up a tender moment, a moment that needed to happen, Shinji took a step back and disappeared off the rooftop - without the use of the stairs. He landed bellow without injury, turning to offer one last look and one last smile upwards before sighing in relief and turning his attention to a much needed shower. Kensei and Love put up a good fight but, in the end, Shinji had won.

Back on the rooftop, Juliana drew Hiyori away and smiled to her. "I have an idea."

Hiyori glared as she rubbed at a red cheek. "Yeah? What?"

With a chuckle, Juliana reached forwards to brush away Hiyori's tears from her wet cheeks. "Why don't you and I go do something tomorrow, just the two of us? We could go get some lunch or maybe go see a movie. How's that sound?"

Hiyori stared at Juliana, unsure of what to think on the offer, but then her lips slowly spread to a smile and her eyes darkened. "Shinji can stay here?"

"He won't like the idea, but I think I can convince him with a good pout and some strong puppy eyes, maybe a kiss or two."

Hiyori snorted a laugh. She then smiled with a shrug of her shoulders. "Shinji may be a jerk but he's got a head on his shoulders."

She paused her thought to look to the side as if trying to remember something. When her lips curled to a smirk, she shook her head. "Then again, maybe he doesn't. After all, he got you two locked in an old file room in the central library one day after you were sent to help him look for something for the Head-Captain."

Juliana chuckled, "He locked us in a closet?"

"Yep." Hiyori grinned. "You two were stuck in there for three hours before somebody found you. Odd enough, the next day he took you for tea, and after that you two were never far apart."

Juliana mewed softly. "Why does that not surprise me?"

Hiyori chuckled with a shrug of her shoulders. "You and Shinji were voted the most adorable couple by the Women's Society back then."

"Now that does not surprise me." Juliana sighed as she turned her eyes to the skyline now cast in deep oranges and pinks with but a hint of darkening blue atop. With a nudge she asked, "So? What about tomorrow?"

"Just you and me?"

Juliana nodded.

"Okay."

"Wonderful. It's getting late, so I should probably get back to Shinji. Do you think the spar is over?"

Hiyori put a hand down to the cement besides her, pondering for a moment. "Yeah, it's over."

"Good. Hachi said he would make me some tea and drop it by Shinji's room." Carefully, Juliana moved away from the wall till she was standing far enough away that she wouldn't feel dizzy.

"He probably gave it to Shinji since you weren't back by now."

"I'll see you in the morning." With a wave, Juliana turned to leave the roof.

"Hey!"

When Hiyori called, Juliana stopped and glanced back.

"I'm sorry about what I said earlier, about you not being Kazumi and the other nasty things. I don't apologize often. Alright,' she chuckled, rolling her eyes, 'I don't apologize at all. But to you, I will. I just didn't want to see the truth. I hate to admit it but my anger often clouds my judgment."

"It's alright. I understand where your anger was coming from, so you don't need to apologize." Taking a few steps back, Juliana motioned towards the stairs. "Are you coming?"

"Not yet," Hiyori said softly, "I'm gonna stay for a little while longer. It's nice and quiet up here. I can actually think."

"For some reason, you and that word do not seem to mix."

Hiyori shook her head and said with a sly grin, "Shut up."

With another chuckle, Juliana headed towards the stairs. "Let me know in the morning what you want to do. Good night, Hiyori."

Hiyori watched Juliana walk across the roof, and a soft smile replaced her frown. As she watched Juliana carefully descend the stairs, Hiyori felt her heart flutter within her chest with a sensation she wasn't used to feeling. How could she have been so foolish as to try and ignore the truth of the situation? She had felt the truth slap her the moment Juliana entered the building. She had felt Kazumi's Reiatsu radiating from the mortal.

She was back. Finally, Kazumi was back.

Hiyori would never let her go again. "Good night," she said in an almost hushed whisper before she turned her attention to the darkening sky.

16


	7. My Captain

Honey Eyes A Bleach Fanfiction S . Lazic

My Captain

**(Warning: Lemons 18+)**

**T**here was the tea Hachi had promised to bring Juliana, sitting upon a table within Shinji's room and beneath a tea cozy with a cup next to it. How sweet of him, but that thoughtful gesture quickly drifted from her mind as she heard the sounds of tumbling water. The room was lit by two dark lamps that, oddly enough - at this late hour didn't, seem to offer much in the way of efficient light. However, the room felt warm and inviting. But where was the water coming from? As far as she remembered there was no other door within the room that lead to a bathroom or even a closet. This time, however, when she searched for a door she found one partly open but fully hidden beneath one of the floor length wall-scrolls.

Steam was seeping out through the crack in the open door as well as a trickle of light. Shaking her head, and with a chuckle, Juliana bent down to untie her shoes, tossing them off before going to pour herself a cup of herbal tea. For a little while she sat upon the edge of Shinji's large bed, sipping her tea and listening to the sound of the shower running while watching the steam coiling out from the door in a hypnotic caress.

While she sat, the conversation with Hiyori returned to her mind, playing each word over and over again. If Shinji's theory was correct, she and Hiyori had not spoken in over one-hundred years. They had a lot to talk about and obviously some emotional reconciling to do; one could say a lifetime of experiences to catch up on and discuss. Juliana was already looking forwards to spending some time with Hiyori in order to know her better. She didn't know why, but there seemed to be a knot of apprehension twisting about within her stomach. Chuckling, she took another sip of her tea.

This group of odd associates felt as if they were old souls, and deep down Juliana knew that they were. After all, there was a knowing sensation creeping within her telling her that she knew each and every one of them - personally. She thought it unusual that, though they only just met, they had already accepted her. They acted as if they knew her, had known her. Then there was Shinji. Her eyes softened as she looked to the partially opened door of the hidden bathroom where she knew he was within, showering - naked.

Without that sensual understanding, she licked her lips and held her warm teacup. Juliana thought back to the kisses they had shared, how warm and melting they had been. Her entire body reacted to the memory of his touch and how his caresses felt as if they had been lovers long before they met. Now she knew why a single smile from Shinji could drive the butterflies in her stomach insane and why the softest of touches upon her skin from his fingertips drew forth little moans from her and the want for more touches. They had been lovers a century ago, and somehow the soul that was still living deep within her remembered that aspect of their previous intimacy.

Juliana could no longer deny the attraction she had towards Shinji. He was gorgeous, witty, and sharp. Even if he was a bit on the thin side, it was obvious he had more strength in his body than he let on. She didn't mind that he could fight; in fact, she found such knowledge rather exciting. A little shiver ran along her spine as she remembered the wicked grin upon his lips when he walked off to spar with Kensei and Love.

As she finished her tea, she contemplated on their unique and budding relationship. So, if they had been lovers, then that meant that one-hundred years ago they had been intimate together. A hot blush took Juliana's cheeks as she contemplated a sexual intimacy with Shinji Hirako. She nipped her teeth to her lower lip, drawing the soft flesh inwards to be nibbled upon, and wondered what such a relationship would have been like, what it must have felt like to be within his arms and to feel the full extent of his passion. She wondered, now, what his skin might feel like beneath her roaming touch. Would his flesh be hot and smooth? Would she be able to feel his heart beating within his chest, wild and powerful? The image her own questions formed within her mind's eye brought her eyes to close and a shiver to run down her spine. She shouldn't be thinking such thoughts; after all, she had only known him for a short amount of time.

"Enough," she groaned before lifting the cup to her lips only to pout when she found the cup empty.

Then again, what was wrong with thinking such intimate thoughts when her soul had already experienced the passions created within her thoughts? Was the idea of sharing pleasures with Shinji such a taboo thought? She was old enough to view a man as a sexual object of her lust, so who else better to experience such an act with than him, the one who had embraced her within his arms and life so long ago?

Taking a deep breath, Juliana bit down on her lip sending a little trickle of pain through her body. The idea, oh that delicious idea, caused a pool of liquid warmth to settle within her belly. The heated sensation brought a tender smile to her lips, but the smile drifted away as she thought to Shinji. Would he reciprocate her feelings? Would he even be interested in her in such a way? Deep down, she knew she wanted him that way, in all ways, but how was she to state that to Shinji without looking like a complete and utter fool? What would he think of her?

From within her came a gentle push, a subtle nudge of encouragement telling her that Shinji would not turn her away, would not laugh at her but accept her offering. Licking her lips, she stood from the bed then crossed the room to deposit the teacup to the small table. Within a few heartbeats she found herself staring at the hidden door. Before she could stop herself, Juliana pushed open the door to find herself embraced by the moist heat from within. She was surprised to find a decent sized bathroom behind the door with a tiled floor and all the basic commodities needed.

Off to the side she noticed the shower, and within was Shinji's body clouded by steam and liquid and displaced by the distorted glass. Secretly, she watched him move amongst the cascading water and took the moment to picture the image of his naked body. That erotic image deepened the hot pool within her stomach and drove the sensual urge of need harder into her.

Trembling hands began to move, detaching and removing every article of clothing that covered her slender body. Timid steps took her the short distance to the shower door where she could see that his back was to her in the wide cubicle. Now she was able to see him clearer, and what she saw stopped her heart. Water dripped down his naked shoulders, caressing along the smooth contours of his back as he shifted while washing. Every graceful move he made caused the lean muscles of his back to contort beneath his flesh, taunting Juliana's imagination.

Juliana felt her body start to tremble while standing half naked when at any moment he could turn about and see her. Was it too late to get her clothes and run out? Yes, it was too late for her mind to rationalize what she was about to do because her hands were already on the move. The last bits of fabric fell from her body leaving her naked as sin.

Taking a gulp of hot and steamy air, Juliana forced herself to move. Her fingers, that continued to tremble, gripped the handle of the shower door only to pause. Was that her heart pounding in her ears? One breath then two breaths then three breaths were pulled within her tightening lugs before the sliding door slowly glided open. There was no going back now. Wet warmth met her instantly. Taking a deep breath, Juliana stepped into the shower and closed the door behind her. He was only a few inches from her now, that was, till she took a step back just so she could look at him. He was still facing away from her with one arm lifted out before him while working fingers over what looked to be a very nasty bruise. Without his clothes on, Juliana could see how corded and tight his body was, constructed of lean muscles and thin lines. Shinji had a geek's body, that was for sure, but with a seducer's personality all mixed together.

There she stood - so close to him - with her heart pounding within her chest while butterflies fluttered anxiously within her stomach. The urge to reach out and touch him pulled at her with such ferocious strength that she found her hand lifting of its own accord, reaching out towards him. However, the touch never settled upon him. Instead, one moment of raw courage brought her to him. Without thinking, only acting, Juliana closed the distance to him and let her lips ghost slowly over his shoulder blades while pressing delicate kisses across his slick skin. Against her body she felt him freeze and heard a sharp gasp slide from his lips.

"Juli…" Shinji's voice stopped in his throat as his eyes closed.

How did he not notice she was with him in the shower? A quick memory answered him. Kazumi had been a sneaky woman, mastering the art of slipping into personal situations unseen and unheard. Perhaps Juliana had a touch of that talent passed through her reincarnation. Taking a deep and quivering breath, Shinji tried to still his suddenly racing heart.

"Yes…"

The delicate purr of her voice sent more than his heart to throb. She was kissing his flesh again, just beneath his shoulder blades before brushing up to the base of his neck. When her body came to press against his, the kisses stopped and Shinji was slapped with a cold realization - she was naked. Shinji could feel her bare, wet flesh skim along his with the aid of the water's heated slickness.

His eyes slowly opened as her arms slipped about him, wrapping around his thin torso with her fingers curling to his chest. With a soft smile, Shinji pressed her hands to him with his fingers slowly and gently caressing along her wet flesh. "What are you doing?"

"I'm not sure yet," she whispered while nuzzling a cheek against one of his shoulders. Sighing softly, she pressed her lips to his wet flesh. "Please don't ask me to explain what I'm doing, Shinji. I don't want to think, I only want to feel."

Her lips felt so soft and delicate along his skin, teasing the brush of warm petals here and there against the back of his shoulders, further inducing arousal within Shinji's body. "Feel?" he asked through the faintest of whispers.

Juliana's soft fingers spread over Shinji's chest, pressing to his body then curling is if wanting to feel his skin moving beneath her touch. His body felt solid, so strong, as she leaned fully against him. Her naked breasts were crushed against the middle of his back as her hips nestled against the flatness of his buttocks.

She took a breath then whispered, "Is it wrong of me, Shinji, to feel the way I do towards you?"

Gently, his fingers wrapped about one of her hands to raise her fingers to his lips. Each one he kissed, and each kiss he placed brought shudders to trickle from her to him. He sighed, glancing back over his shoulder as well as he could. "What do you feel? Tell me, Juliana."

Closing her eyes, Juliana licked hot water from her lips. Her fingers laced with his. "I feel as if we belong together. I have only known you for such a short amount of time, but I feel as if I have known you for the last century. I feel as if I have been waiting for you. I never cared about anybody else, never wanted anybody else, Shinji. I couldn't look at another guy without judging each of them against an illusion, a dream, and against touches I had never felt and kisses I had never known."

Shinji narrowed his eyes as he thought of Juliana in the arms of any other, a man other than him, and that thought infuriated him from within his very core. Hs fingers tightened about her hand as he tried to push away the rippling agitation that tickled him. "I couldn't do it," he heard her delicate voice whisper softly; he could barely make out her words past the pouring water.

"Deep in my soul I knew there was somebody waiting for me. Sometimes, I swore that I felt as if I was being watched, but when I think back upon it,' Juli smiled, tightening her embrace about his thinly wet form, 'I was expecting to be watched. And all the while I was hoping somebody would find me." She took a breath then arched her slick body to his back. "Is that wrong?"

"No," Shinji replied breathlessly as he closed his eyes, once again taking a deep and steadying breath.

Her lips touched to his flesh once more, pressing softly to his shoulder blades. "I realized, the other night, that I have been lonely, Shinji - beyond normal loneliness. My soul has ached all these years, and I never knew why. But now I know who I was aching for."

Shinji bit down a groan at her words, her sensual and tender words.

"I tried to find you in every guy I saw," she went on to say. "I was searching for you in all those guys I have judged, and I think I know why now. I think my soul hoped you were here, perhaps like me - reincarnated. It was only a small chance, but it was a chance I have been waiting for my entire life."

"Juli…"

"But I found you, and we're together - right here - right now." She drew back as she felt the muscles of his body tighten and shift, indicating coming motion. Her eyes drifted up a few inches as Shinji turned within her embrace, looking down to her with a thoughtful gaze.

When their eyes locked, when she could see into those beautiful orbs of pale brown, Juliana's heart melted. She lifted a hand to set fingers against his wet cheek, stroking slick fingertips slowly along the length of his jaw till her thumb caressed over his lower lip.

Shinji's eyes softened as he looked to her. He took one of her hands and gently spread her palm over his heart that pounded violently - heatedly - from within. "I've waited too long to hear you say all that," he said with a slight chuckle. Leaning to her, he pressed a kiss to her forehead. "But you know,' he smirked, setting his other hand beneath her chin where two fingers guided her face towards him, 'you didn't have to get in the shower with me to tell me that."

"I know," she mewed sheepishly, her body shivering beneath the heated gaze of his eyes. "After Hiyori told me how you and Kazumi…"

"You," Shinji corrected with his lips skimming down the bridge of her nose.

"Alright. After Hiyori told me of how you and I first met,' she sighed, closing her eyes as his lips were felt ghosting over her quivering mouth, 'I figured that if you accidentally locked us in a closet back then I can accidentally lock us in a shower."

Shinji blinked then drew back enough so he could look to her curiously. "She told you that, huh?"

Juliana nodded and found herself leaning to him till their bodies pressed together in a more a comfortable embrace of two lovers long lost. She found that she was no longer embarrassed to be with him in such an intimate way. "Yes, she did," she chuckled softly with her palms flattening to his chest before slowly slipping upwards along his sleek chest layered with wet skin till her arms were draped over his shoulders. Her devious fingers were happy to play with the damp locks of his blond hair.

"I would think this a completely different situation, wouldn't you?" Shinji smirked his trademark cocky smirk as he threaded fingers into her chestnut hair, wet now and stuck about her shoulders, plastering her features in silken textures. He guided her lips to his by the gentle hold.

The kiss was gentle, delicate and loving, and beneath his lips Juliana parted her mouth. She moaned, letting her eyes close and her arms tighten about his shoulders as she curled her fingers to the back of his neck. As her body came to press against his, she whole heartedly returned the warm embrace.

Shinji felt her shiver and heard her moan so he deepened the kiss, his tongue slipping forth to caress hers and draw out another succulent moan. Gathering her into his arms, Shinji seized her mouth in a heated, heart stopping kiss. Feeling her fingers scratching down his wet scalp caused him to cup the back of her neck, keeping her locked against him as the kiss increased in hungered ferocity. Slanting his lips against hers, Shinji groaned into the kiss. His hands feasted upon the wet curves of her body as he began to caress her, stroking her flesh with skilled and deadly fingers till Juliana whimpered his name.

Their kiss broke so that each could take a needed breath, but only for a moment till Shinji's slick mouth fell upon the arch of her throat. He nuzzled her chin till Juliana tipped her head back, allowing him access to toying with her throat. He nipped the tender flesh of her throat, dragging his tongue in slow circles before suckling upon the sensitive flesh beneath her chin. He could feel her shivering and could hear her whimpering as her fingers gripped his hair so hard her nails scraped his skin.

Then his lips were upon the shell of one of her ears, slowly brushing along the ridge till his hot voice whispered to her. "For your information, you lured me into that closet in the first place with the use of your seduction."

Juliana gasped to his hot words, and even hotter lips. But with a chuckle, she nuzzled and pressed against him. "You lie, Captain," she murmured.

Shinji froze. His eyes drew wide as he suddenly pulled back, gripping her shoulders to push her, gently, to arms' length. He stared at her in shock, and Juliana stared at him with a look of bewilderment. "What did you just call me?" Shinji inquired through a throaty whisper.

Juliana's eyes grew confused and unsure. Licking her lips, she tried to draw away as she thought on his question while insecurity coiled within her. "Don't," she heard Shinji grumble as she made a move to remove his hands from her shoulders. Raising her timid eyes, she saw the most loving gaze looking to her from within Shinji's eyes.

"Captain…"

How could she remember his title when the details of their past had yet to be disclosed? Shinji felt his entire body begin to shake. The way she was looking at him appeared as if he was staring into Kazumi's eyes. Why bother questioning what was happening? Instead, he dragged her mouth to his, seizing her lips in a frenzy of kisses. His tongue thrust forwards, taking control of the desire he knew was swimming about within her. He found Juliana clutching him, pressing and now kissing him in return with such urgency and burning passion that Shinji wrapped his arms about her to pull her up and against him. A hot groan slid into the kiss as he feasted upon her lips. Feeling her body trembling, slick and hot, only fueled his burning desire, so when her nails scratched down his shoulders and around his neck to dig into his flesh, a low growl pressed against her mouth.

Juliana melted in to a trembling puddle of emotions. Everything from lust to elation tore through her to muddle within her mind and create a sensual bundle of confusion. Never before had she felt such intense desire, but she knew she had been looking for it, waiting for it, and now she had it. Her lips indulged his with a hunger she never thought possible. Her heart pounded from within her chest, threatening to rip from her body. Such luscious wet, hot flesh danced against Shinji's hard form pressing against her as she was lifted off her feet and held to him. Her arms tightened about Shinji's shoulders as he held her tightly to him while their slick bodies met in motion. She didn't concern herself anymore about being naked with him and in this seductive situation within this glass encased, water fallen, heat embraced shower of desire.

When Shinji's mouth tore from hers to trail heated kisses down her chin, he heard a low whimper tumble from Juliana as she leaned her head to the side, submissively offering her flesh to him. He nipped her throat, delicately scraping his teeth over her sensitive flesh then down along her collarbone as he lifted her higher with simple ease. With her mind spinning, Juliana was hardly aware that he had turned them about. Only when her back was pushed up against the cool shower tiles behind her did she realize their position. She was pinned between his body and the wall with Shinji's mouth refusing to stop outlining her neck and shoulders in a slow and agonizing caresses and loving every touch.

Perfect. This is where he wanted her. Shinji used his body to keep her pressed to the wall so that his hands could return to caressing, teasing and stroking her curved body as his fingers memorized every detail to every dip. Those deadly fingers of his danced along her hips, curling and gripping her flesh as he pulled her against him with the want to feel every inch of her feminine form. He wanted to feel every muscle tremble and know that she trembled for him.

The way she sighed and moaned sent waves of lust to crash about within his thin body. It had been way too long since he had heard such sounds form her lips. She felt wonderful, alive and hot! He felt like crying out in rapture after so many years without her, without Kazumi's soul. A flood of emotions broke through him, cascading in uncontrollable torrents that brought the threat of tears to fall against her neck.

But then Shinji's moral honor came slapping reality to his mind. What a bastard he must be if he was thinking of taking her in a shower of all places! This was Juliana - Kazumi - and that meant she deserved much better than being shoved up against a hard wall. Groaning, he pulled his lips away then nuzzled her neck where he tried desperately to control his breathing. Delicate kisses were brushed along the throbbing pulse-line beneath her flesh.

"We can't do this...,' he muttered past a deep gulp of air, 'not like this."

"Yes, Shinji, we can."

Shinji groaned at her words. "Don't say that. If you do, I can't be held liable for my actions."

With a slight mutter of disappointment, Juliana cupped his face to guide his gaze up to her. "Then don't be."

This time it was Juliana who initiated the next kiss by drawing his mouth to hers with such desperate need that a wave of desire rocked through her. She arched against him, rocking her body in an instinctual want to feel more contact of his hard, masculine frame. Her hips pressed to him to feel his throbbing erection that made all the rational thoughts within her mind vanish.

Shinji groaned deeply from within his throat as she seized his mouth; the urgency and heat caused his body to throb. Then she was arching and pressing her naked and slick body against him, leaving his mind a puddle of sexual want. He moved his hands, skimming his deadly touch down the smoothness of her sides then up the curvy flare of her hips till his roughened fingertips brushed along the outer curves of her youthful breasts.

Pulling back, licking away the taste of her lips and the water, Shinji calmed himself with deep, collective breaths. She was so beautiful with her cheeks flushed, her lips swollen, and her eyes a pool of melted amber. She was trembling, her breaths jerking within her lungs. "Juliana," he breathed as he turned his eyes down only to realize his mistake instantly. A stab of hot desire pierced his gut as he looked upon the top swells of her naked breasts that were crushed against his thin chest.

No, he was not going to allow any form of rational thinking to strip away the passion that was building between them. She wasn't going to let this moment slip away, not when their passions were burning.

When he glanced down, Juliana threaded her fingers into the blond mess of his wet hair then tightened her grip and pulled his head up and back. The look of surprise that crossed his eyes twisted a lust filled knot within her belly, but the look vanished as she saw Shinji's lips coil in a wicked grin. Nipping her lower lip, Juliana dipped her head to brush her lips across his jugular as her hips pressed forwards then swayed deviously against him, caressing and rubbing their bodies sinfully together.

Shinji felt his resolve fracture when her hips danced against his, teasing his erection with the slickness of her abdomen. Did she have to do that? Vixen! "Are you sure you want this, want me?" he growled.

"Yes," she moaned, content now that her lips drifted down his throat to nip playfully at his exposed Adam's apple.

"There's no going back," he said with stumbling words.

Juliana licked his skin once more before leaning back so she could look into his eyes. "I don't want to go back, Shinji. This is what I want. You are what I want." Licking her lips, she caressed a hand through his damp hair then stroked her fingertips across his sharp jawline. "I was yours in my past life; make me yours in this life."

Shinji's heart broke. She didn't have to beg him - never would she have to beg him for anything. If she wanted him in this way, then so it would be. Once again Shinji kissed her, but this kiss was slow and passionate with their lips caressing and touching as his hands slipped along her hips then behind her till his fingers curled against her firm rear.

She was nothing but a feather to him as he lifted her while muttering in between their kisses, "Put your legs around me."

Whimpering, she wrapped her arms about his shoulders when she was lifted. Her slender legs parted, each wrapping about his thin hips snuggly. "Shinji? What are you…"

He chuckled as he turned about and, with simple ease, pushed open the shower door so he could step out. The last thing he wanted to do was slip with her in his arms - not that he would. "Taking you to the bed." Grinning to her, he flashed her a wink. "I'm not going to make love to you against a wall."

Juliana smirked then turned her attention to the kisses she was placing all about his face. Once or twice he tried to catch her lips with his but her mouth danced to the side. Their flesh touched, slipping wet skin to wet skin, and her legs tightened to hold onto him bringing a wicked and erotic connection of their bodies. Feeling his erection throbbing and caressing against the heated core of her body bubbled a whimper within her throat, and she gasped each time she felt Shinji's wet erection brush against her sensitive folds.

When finally he arrived at the bed, he carefully lowered Juliana down to the soft comforter. He then moved, shifting to loom over her with his thin body. Their kiss never broke and their touches never departed as Juliana shifted when Shinji came to part her legs with a skinny knee. He trailed his fingers down her body, taking his time as if he was memorizing every dip and curve of her physique. A sinful growl sounded for him, and she arched to him from the gentle caresses.

She wouldn't hold still, and her twisting movements had Shinji chuckling with amusement, after all, he was having a damn hard time trying to control his own building arousal. He kept forgetting the fact that Juli might never been with another guy, and that meant he really needed to - damn - she just had to do that. His mind went blank as he felt one of her slender legs wrap about him. That move brought her hips to rock and arch to him, nuzzling and caressing his length along her wet apex that quivered for his attention.

Breaking the kiss, Shinji gazed down to her, watching as her eyes fluttered opened. "We need to go slow. I don't want to hurt you."

A sly smile graced her lips as she touched a hand to his cheek. Seeing him lean to her palm to press a kiss encouraged her, and she told him quietly, "I'm not ignorant, you know." She teased him by trailing her thumb along his lower lip. "I know what's going to happen. I have waited for this moment, a century if we go by your theory, so don't make me wait any longer."

He muttered with a grin to his lips as he leaned down to kiss her, "Stop saying such beautiful words."

Juliana chuckled against his lips. "Then stop wasting time, or do you want me to walk off for another century?"

Shinji's pale brown eyes blinked as he looked down to her with that dead-pan look of his. A few seconds later, his lips coiled back with another wickedly sly grin. "Yeah, that's not going to happen, so don't even think about it."

He curled his fingers against her slender thigh, digging his nails against her skin as he leaned down to claim her mouth in a sizzling and passionate kiss. Groaning, Shinji rocked his hips against her, dragging his aching shaft back and forth against her wetness while pressing his full weight upon her. Skimming his lean fingers beneath her rump, Shinji lifted her from the bed. He needed the perfect angle so he could tease both of their desires, leaving Juliana moaning and whimpering beneath him. With one rock of his hips, they met in sexual contact, and Shinji groaned against her mouth when his shaft parted her soft folds. Juliana reached for him, and the movement of her body caused the swollen tip of his shaft to push within her till only the swollen tip of him was lodged within her tight folds.

Shinji growled against her lips as her heat enveloped him. She was so tight, her slick flesh clutching him like a well-made glove, and with his control slipping away, he grasped the comforter with one hand and curled his fingers as tightly as he could. As he began to move, gliding only an inch within her, he leaned over her to take his thin weight off of her. The short curtain of his blond hair, falling before his features, swayed in time with his rocking motion - the shallow and slow thrusts of his shaft in and out of Juliana's trembling core. He wanted to take his time, wanted to allow her body to adjust to him but Juliana had other intentions. Feeling her hot walls tighten about him, he growled low in his throat and, panting, inclined his head against the nook of her shoulder before stilling himself.

"Don't…move," he hissed through a vibrating surge of air.

"I can't help it," she whimpered, shifting her body once again.

Every move she made drew his shaft another inch into her body and drew pitiful moans from both of them. Juliana's sculpted nails came to drag along his body, scorching his pale flesh with red lines till her arms wrapped about him to curl to his back as she held to him. Juliana arched upwards, her naked body drifting away from the bed as she attempted to nuzzle his damp hair. She was trying so hard to obey his request; her pitiful whimpers of suffering fell quiet against his hair.

"Shinji…"

Shinji felt his soul crack when his name brushed against his neck in a breathy whisper. Though he wanted to thrust into her and claim her innocence as his, losing his control was not an act that Shinji prided himself on doing. From the battle field to the bed, Shinji was a master of control - or so he thought. Each time he felt her moist walls pulse or move, he felt another delicate string of his self-control fray. Slowly, he drew himself from her, drawing inches of his swollen erection from her moist confines. He had meant what he said, to go slow, but no longer could he submit to his own demand. It seemed that Juliana was not going to have that. However, he knew there was no point as the feeling of her legs tightening about him had his withdrawal stopping.

"Don't leave me…."

Shinji lifted his head from Juliana's shoulder to gaze down to her. Her beautiful honey touched eyes were soft and glazed with deep seated desire, but he saw a renewed sadness behind those molten orbs that brought his soul to weep. Her words had a double meaning. Though she did not want him to leave her body empty, now that they were connected as lovers once again, her soul demanded he not leave her life again.

Leaning down, Shinji kissed her lips and whispered subtly against the parted petals, "Never. I won't leave you again. I promise."

One hard and sharp thrust broke Juliana's body. The room danced with the echo of her discomfort as Shinji drove himself fully into her with one sudden lunge of his body. The uneasiness was momentary, as was the sharp cry that drifted from her lips, but the kiss Shinji settled to Juliana's soft mouth drank away her cry to replace it with a soft moan. Shinji had taken her lips in the passionate embrace the moment he drove himself through the barrier of her virginity. To calm his rising arousal, he stilled over her trembling form to give her a chance to embrace him, to relax about him before he moved once again. When he felt the muscles about his embedded flesh relax, he moved.

Juliana was in Heaven - pleasured Heaven. The short moment of discomfort drifted away, replaced by the internal sensation of his body stroking her in the slow rhythm of his hips. He was slow at first, caressing and shifting over her as her muscles relaxed and as her virgin body embraced him. Juliana basked in the feelings as she ran her hands over his flexing body, pausing to feel the contorting of his back and shoulder muscles as his body arched and bent in time to the sexual rhythm. The room spun, her mind drifting further and further away, and she closed her eyes and gave in to the pleasures that she felt. Every caress of his body, inside and out, guided her another step towards the precipice of release. As his motions deepened and intensified, so did her cries and her whimpers.

The room soon fell to the echoes of sexual delights - moans and whimpers and incoherent mumbles of encouragement. Desperation coaxed Juliana to join Shinji in their erotic dance, moving her body in luscious rocking before her mind could stop her. She would lift her hips, rocking forwards then pushing upwards to meet Shinji's thrusts and, when she did so, a deep snarl of pleasure tore from her lover as they both felt his body slide deeper into her. The more she arched to him, angling her body beneath him, the deeper she felt him penetrate her quivering channel till she gasped when he thrust against her core. When the swollen tip of his shaft touched her womb, their bodies connecting fully, she cried out and bucked against him with her legs tightening as she tried, in vain, to lock herself against him.

The pleasure was so intense. Juliana never imagined her first time would be like this, so wild and filled with lust. The power he drove into to her was both gentle and strong, forcing her body to bounce upon the bed and causing the solid structure to grown in defiance to their motions. Their bodies, slick with lingering dampness of water and building sweat slipped against each other in a wicked dance of caressing flesh. The harder Shinji moved, the deeper he thrust, Julian's trembles turned to desperate writhing.

Their kisses broke apart, separated by the increasing brutality of their coupling, and so her lover buried his face to the crook of her neck where his breaths fell in violent panting gasps. His growls, so close to her ear, sent shudders to reverberate through her body, throwing her one step closer to the pit of orgasmic darkness. Feeling simmering liquid pooling within the pit of her belly, Juliana clutched Shinji with such strength that he snarled in approval and increased the force of his thrusts. Wet flames licked at the desire sweeping within her, and with a sharp cry, she bucked wildly against him in order to rub her folds against the base of his swollen shaft as he ground himself shamefully against her.

Every flex of her sleek muscles could be felt teasing his buried flesh as he felt her stomach spasm beneath him. Seconds later, the tight sheath of her body contorted about him as her orgasm ravaged her, and the sensation of having to thrust through that tightness was too much for Shinji to handle. Clenching his eyes, he slipped his arms beneath her shoulders, yanking her against him. He pressed himself down atop her as his instinct to mate overpowered him.

Juliana, acting on impulse, pushed up to meet him in a desperate attempt to grind against him as her orgasm was heightened by his continual thrusting. Her hips worked against his groin, rubbing the bundle of quivering nerves nestled between her folds till another explosion of climax ripped through her. She cried out to the room while arching violently off the bed. With her fingers nipping against his flesh, leaving crescent marks of red, Shinji hissed through the bite of pain yet kept thrusting while her body quaked about him.

Shinji drove into her one last time before his own release seared his insides. A twisted sound of bestial pleasure, low and deep from within his throat, broke from his lips as he pressed his face to the slick flesh of her neck. With a groan, he breathed in a lungful of her sexualized scent, sweat and heated water and wild female. With each spasm of his shaft within her, another spurt of his seed filled her hungry womb. Together, they crumbled in to a pile of slick flesh and quivering bodies, each panting heavily.

Gasping, Juliana's hazed eyes drew open to stare at the ceiling above her. She smiled lovingly, a smile that only a sated lover could make, as she felt Shinji's heart pounding through his slender chest. Tenderly, she embraced him, wrapping her arms about him to stroke her hands along the quivering muscles of his back. She felt complete. She felt as if her life had finally come together and the emptiness she had felt for so long had finally been filled.

Juliana was his now. No other man would touch her. Ever so gently, she pressed her lips to the mop of blond hair dampened and stuck against his features. With a tender embrace, a whisper of pure love, two words drifted from her lips as her eyes closed and she let the after-glow of desire sweep her into its hold…

"My Captain…"

15


	8. What Had Been

Honey Eyes A Bleach Fanfiction S . Lazic

What Had Been

"_**S**__hinji, darling, we must talk."_

_Pale brown eyes lifted from a spread of paperwork to look upon the face of Kazumi Hirowari-Hakagoji. Thin drawn lips curled down to a pout as Shinji Hirako rolled his eyes. "There's always something to talk about," he muttered, tossing his secret lover a playful glare. "Whatever it is, we can talk about it later. If you haven't noticed,' he paused, turning that pout in to an insanely proud smile as he pointed to the pile of filed papers next to him, 'I'm working!"_

_Kazumi tried so hard to keep a chuckle down - barely. He could be very serious when needing to be; however, ninety-five percent of the time, Shinji Hirako was a downright goof. It was impossible for the man to be serious too often as he complained of being allergic to serious situations. He had his humor and enjoyed the humor and wit of others. Nonetheless, when the moment became serious, the man was nothing less than a true Captain of the Seireitei. He was a puzzle, a quagmire of personality characteristics, but all together he was a wonderful, handsome, and perfect soul - a soul she loved._

"_I see that," she teased, stepping about his desk in the Captain's office of the Squad Five. "You do you know that it does not count if Lieutenant Aizen lets you put your name on his work." _

_Shinji's eyes narrowed and slowly slid his gaze to follow the movements of her luscious form as Kazumi came to slip her rump atop his desk. "Are you saying I take credit for my Lieutenant's work?" _

"_Word around the squads….eep!" The comment died behind her lips as Kazumi bounced a bit from the poke in one of her slender legs by the fudé he was using. "What was that for?" she squeaked, swatting towards the instrument that had poked her_

_Shinji propped an arm upon his desk, cheek resting in a palm, as he poked her again. "I like to hear you squeak, and what's being said around the squads?"_

_The second poke brought another squeak followed by a giggle from her. Playfully, she swatted at him but this time smacking him on the hand. The pitiful look Shinji gave her as he pulled back his hand, rubbing at it as if he had been severely injured, had Kazumi rolling her beautiful honey colored eyes. "That you are lazy and your Lieutenant does all your work,' she teased, scooting closer to him, 'and that you are the laziest Captain the Seireitei has ever seen."_

_Shinji scoffed then slumped down in his chair. "Lies - all lies. Where would they get such information?" Kazumi chuckled and that chuckle drew his small, rounded pupils towards the woman seated upon his desk. "Just where would they get such information, I wonder?"_

_Kazumi reached out to swat his shoulder. _

_Shinji pouted then scrunched his nose as he turned his glaring eyes towards her. "I know somebody who is going home tonight - alone." He huffed as he returned to his paperwork, hunching over as if to keep her from seeing what he was writing. _

"_Don't tease me," she mewed, taking hold of his closest arm to pick it up and move to the side so her slender, lithe frame could slide along the desk edge before settling in his lap. "You think you can handle being without me for one night, Captain?"_

_Shinji's form shifted to allow her into his lap, and his arms went about her as she leaned to his chest, curling and pressing herself intimately to him. "I could go out and get a puppy. They're cute and fuzzy and they bark at burglars. It would annoy Sōsuke."_

"_What burglars?" she chuckled, trickling a set of fingers up along his chest. _

"_The ones Sōsuke doesn't chase away." He leaned forwards to nuzzle her neck and drew in a deep breath of her sweet scent delicately spiced with a touch of wild and exotic flowers. "There is one particular burglar that tends to steal the blanket at night…"_

_Delicate eyes softened as Kazumi drifted her fingers to brush along his sharp jawline. "Why do you pick on him so much?" she asked softly, watching intently the trail of her fingertips. "He is a hard worker and performs all the duties required of his position perfectly. He is also dedicated and loyal, a bit too observant but overall a very strong Soul Reaper."_

_Shinji's lips tucked down in that toothy scowl of his as he gently trailed a set of long, lean fingers along her arm to take hold of her hand. "I tease him for my own reasons, Kazumi." All teases had drifted from his voice as his eyes seemed to go distant. "And you know why."_

_Though he was kissing each fingertip he raised to his lips, it seemed that his attention went elsewhere. Frowning, Kazumi shifted in his lap to face him so that her other hand could touch his cheek. "You're getting that look again, darling."_

_Eyes blinking, Shinji smiled faintly as he released her hand to settle his arms about her waist, locking his fingers at that delicious dip of her spine. He loved that part of her body, his most favorite spot on her naked form to enjoy. With a deep sigh, he turned his head to ghost his lips over her palm. "I am, am I?"_

_Kazumi nodded._

"_You know me far too well."_

"_That I do, and I know when not to pry," she said softly, leaning to press a kiss to his forehead. "That particular look of yours I have learned to leave alone. You're up to something, but you won't tell me so to keep me out of the chaos that no doubt is going to come as a result."_

_He peeked up from the corner of his eyes and over her fingers. "My mother said I'd bring home a smart one."_

"_Wise woman."_

"_Very." He tapped a finger against the curve of her rear._

_Such a warm and loving smile touched her lips as her eyes searched her lover's features. Delicate fingers touched beneath his chin to tip his head up as she leaned down. "And you, my Captain, are wiser," she purred sensually while brushing her lips over his. _

_Shinji offered a wicked grin against her lips as he slid his hands along the curves of her back - his long, spindly yet deadly fingers spreading. "Yes, yes I am." _

_Their lips met in a tender and gentle kiss, a kiss of softness that only lovers could produce. However, it was short considering that their relationship was still hidden from those who were not close enough to them to keep it a hushed secret. _

"_So,' he said once their lips drifted apart, 'what is it you wanted to tell me?"_

_Kazumi caught her bottom lip between pearled teeth as her honey eyes drifted down. It was the deep blush of her cheeks that had Shinji tipping his head, the simple motion sending long strands of gold along his shoulders. Something wasn't right. He frowned and touched a finger to her cheek, drawing her eyes back to him. "Kazumi, what is it?" he asked, feeling concern and worry curling within his stomach._

_A lump grew within her throat that no force in the world would be able to push it down. Their eyes met, and she smiled then took his hand within hers to draw his knuckles to her lips to be kissed individually. "Shinji…"_

"_Captain!"__The call for the Captain was followed by a few knocks upon the shoji paneled door. Sōsuke…. _

_Shinji growled and, looking up, saw Kazumi's features fall. She was looking to the side as heavy disappointment shadowed her almond shaped eyes cuddled in thick lashes. "Nobody's home!" he snapped, looking around the body he held on his lap towards the panels._

"_I apologize, Captain,' Sōsuke called while clearing his voice as if he knew that his Captain was not alone, 'but you received a message from the Head-Captain. He is calling a Captains meeting."_

_Kazumi's honey eyes continued to stare at the folds of his white Haori that she twiddled mindlessly. Damn. Now he was seriously annoyed. His eyes softened as he looked to Kazumi's down turned eyes, then his eyes narrowed as he glared dangerously towards the doors. "When?" he snapped._

_Sōsuke's voice seemed to turn uncomfortable. "Now."_

_To his credit, Captain Hirako kept the cursing inside his mouth - dare he lose his bet with the luscious creature upon his lap. He sighed softly then called back to his Lieutenant, "I'll be there in a minute. Tell the old man to keep his knickers on!"_

"_Yes, Captain," groaned Sōsuke._

"_Have I mentioned lately how I hate my job?" Shinji asked Kazumi while trying to draw even the slightest smile from his lover._

_It worked. Her eyes lifted along with her soft lips curving in to a faint smile. Kazumi gazed to her lover's eyes then leaned to press a slow, soft kiss to his forehead. "Every day." Then she was moving, slipping from his lap and smoothing her hands down her uniform. "You better get going. Captain Yamamoto does not like to be kept waiting." _

_Shinji frowned, looking at her as she stepped back and away from him. The shadows in her eyes still had not vanished, though it was clear she was doing her best to smile for him. A grumble slipped past his lips as he stood, his long Captain's Haori cascading into place as he crossed the few feet to stand before her. Shinji reached up to cup her cheeks gently in his skilled hands as his thumbs brushed along her cheekbones. "We'll talk when I return tonight. How about I fetch us something nice for dinner from that restaurant you like so much?"_

_Kazumi pondered the offer, and her eyes lifted to his as she gave a gentle nod. "I can get pick up something for supper. I know what you like from that place."_

"_Are you sure?" Shinji asked, frowning still._

_She nodded. "Positive. Now go,' she chuckled, giving his side a poke, 'or you will be late."_

_He was only given a short moment to kiss her, but the kiss was heated nonetheless. Shinji drew her mouth to his, seizing her lips with such force and need that his lover moaned hotly. He felt her relax within his arms, if only for a moment before he released her. With a pissed off grumble, he kissed her one last time - quickly. "Very well. I'll see you tonight. Wait for me."_

_Kazumi forced a smile to her lips as he stepped away from her. He did not look back to her as he left the office. With a sigh, she said softly, "Yes, we can wait."_

**J**uliana moaned in her sleep as the familiar scenario played out within her dreaming sub-conscious. She moved in her slumber, seeking out the warmth and comfort provided by the strong, thin frame that was stretched out next to her. Soon after their pleasured waned, she and Shinji fell into a comfortable silence, stroking and caressing each other while passing warm words of love back and forth. Sometime during the night, Shinji came to rest upon his side with a thin arm draped across her stomach in a protective and secure gesture. When she moaned in her sleep, he tightened his arm and drew her to him through the haze of his own slumber, guiding her to the crook of his shoulders.

As she snuggled once again into the hold of her newfound lover, another dream surfaced…

"_**I**__ knew I would find you here, Kazumi."_

_Kazumi's red lined eyes, still holding their delicate honey coloration, turned in slow motion along with her tear stained features. Having heard the panel door to Shinji's personal quarters glide open, she turned to regard the individual who had spoken. She knew the intruder before he had said a word, and her suspicions were correct as she set her puffy eyes upon the one soul in the entire world she hated the most - Sōsuke Aizen. He was the one man that her lover never trusted, and neither did she. To her, Shinji would always be the Captain of the Squad Five, not the man who stood before her. In fact, she knew that Aizen was the reason her beloved Shinji was gone - gone forever._

"_Get out," she hissed from her crumpled position upon the floor._

_Aizen's handsome mouth curled ever so slightly at the corners to form a faint but cruel smirk. Closing the panel door behind him, he gracefully stepped across the room with a flutter of his Haori about him. With a casual gaze, he looked about the room and took note that spread about her were piles of his old Captain's Jazz records. How touching that she was carefully organizing those pointless human collectables that Shinji had always boasted about as being 'priceless', yet to Aizen the most priceless item in the room was the beautiful woman seated among the debris. _

"_There is no need to be so hostile, Kazumi. I can be in this room with equal right as you." He tipped his head now that he came to stand near her. "Does the Head-Captain know you are packing Shinji's…"_

"_Captain Hirako to you," Kazumi growled while narrowing her eyes fiercely._

_How pitiful and sad that she still had a sense of loyalty to somebody who was dead. Still, Sōsuke couldn't help but smile as he spoke in such a cold and flat tone of voice. "By what name I refer to my old Captain is irrelevant at this time, Kazumi. Shinji is dead."_

_Her lips curled as she snarled, "Yes, and you killed him."_

"_Have you not read the reports?" he inquired. "The investigation into Shinji's actions was concluded by Central Forty-Six. The results state that Captain Kisuke Urahara and Kido Captain Tessai Tsukabishi were charged with using a secret Hallowfication project upon Shinji and the others who were taken by them and used for their twisted experiments that lead to their demise."_

"_Lies," Kazumi hissed as her eyes turned cold - deadly._

_Sōsuke's heart skipped a beat. The look of pure hatred in her eyes mixed with the violent hiss of her voice swelled a surge of arousal through his body. Such passion he saw within her gaze, even if it was over the love she still felt for Shinji. One of the many reasons he found himself entranced by this vixen was the fact that even her anger was beautiful. "Central Forty-Six does not lie, Kazumi. You should know, as well, that Squad Two's Captain, Yoruichi Shinoin, aided in the escape of Kisuke Urahara and Tessai Tsukabishi from their trial. They, and those who had fallen prey to Urahara's experiments, are now missing."_

_Missing? "What do you mean by missing? You told me that Shinji was dead!" she howled as she stood, letting a few records she had been holding clatter to the floor. "You came and found me the moment the report returned and swore to me that he and the others had been murdered, and now you tell me that they are missing?"_

_Sōsuke forced his lips to touch in to a concerned frown at her outburst of anger. "I did not say they were alive," he said in correction. "In hindsight, I should have stated that their bodies are unaccounted for."_

"_That doesn't make any sense," Kazumi snapped. "When a soul dies, the bodies and clothing dissipate. How could their bodies be missing?"_

"_The Hallowfication process is very difficult to understand for us laymen, Kazumi," he purred softly while still holding a comforting tone to his voice. "You would not be able to understand the finer details of the process."_

_Kazumi's stomach twisted in painful knots and she stared at Sōsuke even though she looked right through him. Shinji's body was missing? Who would take a corpse, let alone his? Tears started to pour down her cheeks as a slow, agonizing sound of internal agony broke her lips. _

_A slight touch of pity found its way into Aizen's heart as he watched her slender form buckle from beneath her sending her falling to the floor upon her knees. However, the pity was short lived as the fleeting guilt was associated with knowing that he was the direct cause of her lover's untimely departure. He felt guilty for causing her pain, not over the cause of her pain._

_With a soft sigh brought on by her crying, that was picking at his annoyance, he stepped forwards to kneel upon one knee before the her, reaching out to cup a wet cheek to lift her features till their eyes locked. "Do not cry, Kazumi," he ordered softly - coldly - as he brought his other hand to trail fingers slowly down her other cheek. The caress of her wet tears thrilled him, and the power he felt knowing that he had caused such an emotional reaction in her delighted him - made him feel proud. _

_His touch disgusted her and his words were like poison, mocking her with faux concern. "Do not touch me, you snake!" She smacked at his hand, but that smack failed to do any good as his grip tightened upon her chin, forcing her forwards with a small tug._

"_I would not be too hasty in being rude to me, Kazumi," he muttered lowly while pressing his fingertips into her chin till he saw a wince cross her beautiful eyes that were slowly turning a stunning color of burning amber. _

"_Go to Hell," she hissed._

"_Kazumi,' he sighed while shaking his head as a sound of a 'tsk - tsk' drifted from his lips, 'you should know not to raise your anger to a Captain. It will do you no good voicing your rage in such a disrespectful manner."_

"_You killed Shinji. You have tarnished both his name and his reputation as a Captain of the Thirteen Court Guard Squads, and now you are insulting the very title of Captain. Don't make me sick. I will never respect you, even if you have been temporarily assigned the position of Captain of Squad Five." _

_Kazumi's eyes narrowed and a flame of cruelty licked the darkening colors. "Shinji never trusted you. He knew from the first day he met you that you were a threat, that you could not be trusted. I know you are responsible for all of this, Sōsuke Aizen, and I will not rest till I expose you for the monster that you are and watch you fall beneath your own destruction."_

_For one second, Sōsuke's eyes blazed and his features twisted in a quick flash of rage, yet he regained both his control and his composure and once again his face took on the look of gentility. Such fire. Sōsuke brushed a hand along her temples and spoke in a voice that was flat and laced with superiority and precariousness. "What reason would I have to harm my old Captain?"_

_Flinching, Kazumi tried to jerk away from him but his grip held her tight. "Is that not obvious? Me."_

_Sōsuke chuckled. "Ah yes, the proverbial key factor to my hatred of Shinji Hirako. And though you are a powerful key to my goals, you are not the reason Shinji Hirako fell to his fate."_

"_Then,' she growled with a thick swallow, 'what did he do to deserve his fate?"_

"_That, my dear Kazumi,' Sōsuke purred, softening his grip upon her chin, 'is a secret you shall never know."_

"_I know what you're up to," she growled as Aizen moved to stand, drawing her with him roughly. She winced as he pulled her features close to his, and the feeling of his warm breath tickling along her skin made the knot in her stomach clench. "I even voiced my concerns to him, but he told me to keep silent about everything, that he would handle the situation when the time was right. I should not have listened. I should have taken my concerns to the Head-Captain." _

"_A wise choice on your part to have chosen silence. I would have greatly disliked making you an enemy." Aizen drew in a deep breath as he took a moment to enjoy the heat of her anger before smiling softly and whispering, "If you had, I would have dispatched you without a second thought. You see, I have plans for you - plans that require you to stay alive." _

_Kazumi's honey colored eyes narrowed dangerously, and she hissed violently, "You are a fool, Sōsuke. What makes you think I will not speak of this conversation to the Head-Captain and Central Forty-Six?" _

_Once again, a wicked and cruel smile slipped gracefully upon his lips. Sōsuke's grip upon her chin tightened till his nails pressed to her skin as he drew her so close that their lips were a breath away. He felt her shudder against him and closed his eyes as he allowed his imagination to create a succulent image of her naked body shuddering against him in the throes of wild and animalistic pleasure. _

_When his lips touched near her ear, he heard a tiny whimpered escape her lips. "I know what grows inside of you, Kazumi, and I know it belongs to Shinji."_

_Kazumi's eyes went wide, filled with terrified panic. Her entire body froze - her heart, her breath, and her very soul. He knew? How did Sōsuke know? Shinji had only known for a few days! Hot and painful tears poured down from her eyes as she understood Aizen's very real and powerful threat. _

_Her hands slid to her stomach as she whimpered, "No." _

"_I can protect you, Kazumi," Aizen purred against her ear. "As the Captain of Squad Five, I can offer you all the protection you will need. No other shall know of the child you carry. I can request you be transferred to my division by simply telling the Head-Captain that you wish to repair the reputation of your beloved Shinji Hirako and save your child the sins of its father."_

_She whimpered again, trying desperately to pull away from him yet she suddenly found an arm wrapping about her waist to keep her secured against him. "No one would believe such a lie."_

"_My words will be taken as truth, and you will make my words believable."_

"_Why? Why are you doing this to me?"_

_Tipping his head, Sōsuke brought his thumb to trail over her quivering lips and felt the slick caress of her tears. "Do you know what the Head-Captain will do when he discovers that you are carrying Shinji's child? He will act as demanded by his station and his duty to protect both the Seireitei and his neurotic needs. And when I inform him that there is a chance that you and Shinji were having sexual relations while he was undergoing Kisuke's experiments, he will have no other option but to act. A child of mixed genetics, Hollow and Soul-Reaper, cannot be allowed to survive." _

"_None of that is true!" _

"_I have the power to make everything be seen the way I wish," he told her. "Kisuke is gone. There is no one here who will challenge my words. Central Forty-Six has already proclaimed him and Tessai the culprits in this terrible tragedy, but the idea that Shinji could very well have passed on Hollow traits to his unborn child, imagine what Captain Yamamoto will not only do to you but to your child." _

"_He wouldn't…" Salty, hot tears tumbled down her cheeks to caress over his fingers as his digits moved to gather a few of the drops. _

"_The man offered his own Captains and Lieutenants to execution simply because they were the victims of another's experimentations. The Head-Captain will not give a second thought to exterminating your unborn child, with or without your consent." _

_A terrifying whimper tumbled from Kazumi's lips as a wave of nausea struck her. Why was this happening to her? She wanted to scream out her suffering over the death of Shinji and the clear threat to her child. Now that Shinji was gone, their child was all that was left of him and the joy he had given to her. _

"_No!" Kazumi cried out in a tortured sob. _

_Now was the time to thread his threat where the blood ran deep. Once again his grip returned to her chin, tightening to draw her eyes to his. "Allow me to enlighten you on what will happen. The Head-Captain will rip your child from your womb without a care to your health, safety, or comfort. He will let you die on a cold table in a pool of your own blood while the last thing you hear is the agonizing cries of your child as he hands its naked and bloody body off to some uncaring soul. He will turn the only evidence you will have left of yours and Shinji's love in to an experiment of its own."_

_Horror filled Kazumi's eyes and she paled as her body went limp, caught within his hold. With a shaking hand, she weakly gripped the folds of his Haori. Through a heart wrenching sob, she pleaded, "Please…no…"_

"_Consider my words carefully. I offer you salvation and security, Kazumi. I will keep to my word and have you transferred to this division where I can provide you and your child safety. As Captain, I will have all the power I need to protect you both. I will even go so far as to find you a private apartment where you can have your child and live in peace."_

_His words were as poisonous as if they dripped right from the viper's tongue. "Why would you offer such leniency towards me when you have seen to the destruction of all that I love? You despised Shinji so killing his child would be the ultimate form of revenge."_

"_You are wrong," he told her with a slight shake of his head that caressed his forehead with a thick lock of luscious brown. "I had no personal issues with Shinji. He was only a factor of my goals and served his purpose well." Aizen chuckled softly, eying her with a touch of amusement. "You have my offer."_

"_Do I have a choice?" Kazumi growled as she flattened her hands against her stomach._

"_Of course. There are always choices. You can do as you wish and risk the loss of not only your child's life but yours as well or you can take my offer and keep both of your precious lives." _

"_Why would you offer me protection?"_

"_Simple," purred Sōsuke wickedly as he released his hold upon her. "You are mine now," he said softly and while offering her a polite but sarcastic nod. "You have tonight to consider my offer. In the morning, I will return." He turned without another word, leaving her staring in horrified shock at his back. His steps fell silent as he walked to the door, drawing the panel open before stopping outside the room. _

_Glancing back to her, he added, "Sleep well."_

_Kazumi stared at the panel as it closed, shutting out the cruel world that waited outside to ensnare her. She could do little to keep her pain secured within her, and with a wail of pure agony, she collapsed to the floor. There she lay, trembling and sobbing. Shinji was gone. All she had left was their child, and even now that unborn life was being threatened. What was she to do? There was no one to protect her but a man who promised her lies. She knew Sōsuke's words were nothing but twisted formations of his plan. She, like Shinji and the others who were missing, was nothing but a step in Sōsuke's obsession of empowerment. He would not let the child survive. She couldn't let her child fall to the same darkness that took its father's life. _

"_Shinji,' she whispered as the puddle of tears kissed her cheeks, 'what do I do?"_

"**J**uliana,' Shinji whispered as he gave her a rough shake, 'wake up."

With a choked sob, Juliana's body bowed off the bed and with such strength that Shinji was forced from the comforting embrace they had fallen asleep in. Her head was bent backwards in a silent scream of agony, and every muscle in her body was trembling violently and visibly from beneath her flesh. Tears fell from her eyes leaving in their wake salty wet skin.

Shinji had awoken when he heard a sharp cry break the silence of his bedroom. Feeling her body jerking next to him and when he heard another cry echo the room, he reacted in panic. What his mind thought was some sort of attack turned out to be Juliana enwrapped in a nightmare. It took him a moment to come to his senses as he watched her partially naked body, exposed from the covers of his bed, twisting and bucking as if reliving some torturous event.

When his mind cleared from the haze of his sleep, he tried to be as gentle as possible as he leaned over her body to press her securely to the mattress. His lean fingers smoothed down her wet cheeks, brushing away tangles of her chestnut hair, but the horror he saw twisting her features unnerved him. What was going on inside her mind that could frighten her so greatly?

"Juli…" Shinji frowned, reaching out a hand to set his palm against the quivering muscles of her back that he soothingly rubbed.

It was his caressing touch that unlocked her body; she collapsed against the bed and into his arms. Shinji caught her and pulled her trembling body against him. She continued to cry, and her tears slicked the skin of his shoulder. Still, however, she would not wake.

"Sweetheart,' he whispered; his voice laced with his own worry and concern, 'open your eyes."

With a quaking breath, she did as he requested. Her eyes fluttered open, shimmering with tears in the darkness. After a moment of gathering herself, Juliana's attention settled upon the nervous features of her lover.

"Shinji?"

"Hey," he whispered softly, tenderly and as he caressed fingers through her hair. "You okay?"

Juliana sniffled, scrunching her nose as she touched her damp cheeks. "What happened?"

Sighing, he shifted till his thin torso was resting comfortably against her side with one arm draped over her chest with his fingers brushing along her damp cheeks. "You were having a bad dream - a nightmare of some sort," he said softly while gazing to her eyes. He ran fingertips down a wet cheek to gather the remains of tears so he could lift the wet tips to show her within the dim lights of his room. "You were crying. See?"

Confusion shined within her eyes, and she tucked her arms close to her sides with her hands pressing to her flat, bare stomach. Shinji caught the movement from the corner of his eyes, his brows furrowing in curious thought. What had she dreamt of? Had her dream been a memory from deep within her reincarnated consciousness, or had Aizen crept into her mind to play another twisted move in his game of torment?

"I remember," she said softly. Another deep breath quaked within her as her eyes locked to his with pain building within her teary gaze. She lifted a hand from her stomach to touch his cheek. "I had been told you had died," she breathed out in a little sigh.

He died? Where would she get the notion that he died? Frowning, he leaned over her a bit more to press his lips to her forehead. "It was just a bad dream, sweetheart. As you can see,' he paused, pressing his slim weight against her, 'I'm very much alive."

Juliana shook her head. "No, Shinji," she whispered as fresh tears glistened within her eyes. "The same man from my previous dream returned in this dream. He came to me, at least I think it was me, and told me you were dead."

Tipping his head, he trailed his fingertips down her cheek where the pad of his thumb caressed over her lower lip. "You know, it's not fair to confuse a guy whose brain is still stuck on the amazing sex he just experienced after one-hundred years of chastity," he teased with a sly smile upon his lips.

Juliana narrowed her eyes in playful annoyance. "Your sympathy astounds me."

Chuckling, he brushed his lips across hers. "Tell me of your dream."

Juliana relaxed with a sigh. "It was a strange dream. I was in this old, traditional looking room. I'm not sure why but I knew the room was your room. I saw myself, or a person I knew was me, sitting on the floor surrounded by a pile of old records, and I was in so much pain."

Old Records? Shinji blinked his eyes. _"__She remembers my jazz records!"_

"I was crying because you were dead." She forced a lump down her throat as her eyes closed. "And that's when he came in. I was so mad that he dared invade your room. I felt sick to my stomach that he was tainting your room with his presence and the fact he was wearing some sort of white coat that I knew to be yours." Her eyes drifted open and she looked to him with a strong and knowing expression. "It was our room, Shinji. He was tainting our room."

With a sigh, Shinji shifted till he was on his back with his arms open to her. "Come here," he whispered. When he felt her naked flesh press to him, curling against his side, he embraced her within his hold. She tucked her head to his shoulder and let one of her slender hands rest over his chest. "Go on, sweetheart. What did the jack-ass do this time?"

Licking the salted tears from her lips, Juliana pressed herself as tightly as she could to the warm, bare body next to her. "He didn't do much. He spoke to me sarcastically, enjoying his mockery of my pain. I can't remember all the finer details, but I remember he was threatening me. He was twisting what you and I had, and his words were like ice." A deep breath shook her body as her eyes closed and she pressed the side of her face to Shinji's boney shoulder. "I knew he was the reason you never returned to me. He was the one who took your life."

Shinji's eyes softened as he gathered her against him, her sobs threatening to spill against his neck.

Juliana gulped down a lungful of air as her tears began to soften due to the tender caresses of Shinji's fingers along her shoulder. "I can't remember exactly everything he said. I hate my dreams. They're like partial movies. I can see everything fully when I'm dreaming, but when I wake up, its only selective images."

"Maybe your dream is not a dream but recollections from your past life."

"I don't know how I can be recalling something from a past life. That's impossible."

"Nothing's impossible, babe."

"I used to have dreams like this all the time when I was a child so my parents had me put on pills that would help control them. It seems, however, that every once in a while a dream will slip through, like this one. The dreams were so real and frightening that the dosage would have to be increased so I could sleep."

Shinji arched a brow as his gaze went to the dark ceiling. "I've never heard of medication that can control dreams."

"I never questioned my parents. My dreams were so bad that I would wake up screaming as if I was in a night-terror. I wanted them to stop, and I still do."

"Are you still taking the pills?" Juliana nodded, and Shinji groaned and pressed his cheek to her hair. "I'm sorry," he said softly. "You don't need to experience such nightmares. What happened in the past should stay in the past."

"But I want to know my past, Shinji," she said with a bite of determination to her voice as she leaned away from his body. She smiled down to him, reaching out to brush her fingers through a short lock of gold. "I want to know as much as I can. I want to know,' she paused as she brought a fingertip to caress down the bridge of his nose, 'everything we had together."

Shinji's eyes crossed in an attempt to follow the trail of her finger down his nose. Gently, he took her hand to bring her fingers to his lips to kiss each knuckle. "All in good time," he whispered as the hand upon her back moved, skimming fingers along her spine till he pressed his palm to the back of her neck. "I promise you, we will have all the time in the world."

"How can you make such a promise?" she questioned as she felt her body pulled to him. He felt so wonderful and so solid that her apprehension drifted from her.

"Because,' he said with his lips forming his trademark cocky grin, 'I'll fight with all my strength to make it that way."

Juliana finally let her lips curve in a tender smile as she leaned down to touch her lips to his. It was a chaste kiss, only a ghosting of skin to skin, but when she tried to draw back, Shinji's hand held her to him. His lips parted beneath hers, and with a caress of the tip of his tongue to hers, he urged her lips open to accept a deepening kiss. The softest, most gentlest of moans teased Shinji's lips as she leaned to him, her fingers curling against a thin cheek. Slowly, their kiss drifted away - ending sweetly and gently - and Juliana's eyes fluttered open to look to his.

A deviant grin settled across her lips as she slowly moved down Shinji's body. While a slender leg slipped over his hips, drawing her body over his, Juliana watched the reaction on his face. It was picture perfect, to say the least, the way his lips pressed thin and how a deep groan locked within his tight throat. His pale brown eyes drew closed as his head tipped back and his slender chest lifted up and off the bed.

"In the end,' she said softly, pressing her naked breasts against his chest and, in doing so, eliciting another groan from him, 'I don't think I shall need those pills anymore."

A deep breath steadied Shinji's tightening body, and he drew open his eyes to regard her through his clouding sight. "Oh? Why is that?"

"All I will need is you and what we now have. You'll keep my nightmares away, won't you, Shinji?"

Shinji's slender fingers drifted through her chestnut locks to skim down her jaw before cupping the side of her beautiful face. "On my life," he whispered before pulling her mouth to his.

This kiss was fierce, heated and intense as it seared its way through both bodies. Juliana trembled against him as he took her very breath away. Their lips parted, and in one smooth motion Shinji rolled over till she was held comfortably between the bed and his body. Juliana whimpered against his pliable and commanding mouth the instant his strong body pressed against her and as he used one leg to part her own. Feeling her quivering kindled his continual desire for this beautiful version of Kazumi.

Shinji teased her body, caressing her and outlining every curve of her form before settling his grip over a plush breast. Juliana's lips broke from his as a pitiful cry echoed the room when he began to touch her, caress her and mold her flesh with his dangerous fingers. Her body was on fire, stroked by his touch as he teased and palmed her sensitive nipple till the bud tightened. And when his lips trailed heated kisses along her chin, the path ending in little kisses and nips at her throat, her fingers fell to his shoulders and curled till she heard him hiss.

He touched her soft and naked folds causing Juliana to cry out in desperation for him. When he stroked her, she trembled for him, and when he entered her, she gave herself to him with a luscious whimper of sensuality. Their passion sizzled from within, slow at first and sparked by their touches and their kisses. Shinji moved gently, taking his time to enjoy the liquid heat and throbbing sensations that encased his flesh. She fit him perfect, grasping and toying with his flesh at the same time, and when his thrusts quickened, deepening within her convulsing passage, Juliana responded eagerly by arching and rocking to meet him. Their lust turned greedy and hungry for each other, encouraged by their hands gripping and their muscles tightening. Shinji pushed her higher and higher, fondling her with his body to the point of sexual madness.

As her cries turned to begs, he lost his control. He drove hard, burrowing and impaling his shaft with a pleasurable brutality that fueled his own need for release. As her body clamped down about him, her slick channel starting to spasm, he pushed her even harder till her climax exploded in one violent and exalted eruption of pleasure.

Blinding white heat scorched Juliana from the inside as her lover drover her over the edge. Every muscle in her body broke down, trembling and spasming wildly. She clutched Shinji in a desperate hold of hungered lust as her cries of release resonated the room. A pained groan from Shinji fell against her neck where his hot breath spilled to caress her dampened skin. Both bodies trembled, shaking against the other as orgasmic waves crashed together.

Shinji was the first to move, drawing his slick body off of Juliana so he could gaze down to her. Their coupling had been quick but intense and left both exhausted - sated.

Shinji smiled to her then leaned to brush his lips along hers. With a sigh, he brushed his shaky fingertips along her damp cheek while the other propped himself up and off of her. "You do believe me when I say I won't let anything happen to you, don't you?"

She leaned to his touch and whispered, "Of course."

"Good," he whispered and, with his eyes closing, took her lips in a lazy and passionate kiss.

**M**usic flowed from wires to device and then into the ravished ears of Dai Stanford. The hour was close to midnight and still Dai found herself no closer to sleep than she had been when the sun set. Then again, to Hell with the idea of sleep! She had an entire day off tomorrow from work, so why not enjoy a late night listening to music and browsing the internet? After all, she had planned the entire evening down to every precious minute: a bowl of popcorn, music from a newly download album, chatting online and via text with her friends, and a movie or two.

Bored now with her phone, Dai stood up from her bed to stretch her arms then walked across her room to analyze her movie collection. What to watch now? A good horror movie would do the trick, and keep her up for the next two hours.

"Perfect," she said with a grin as she selected a cult classic, the first Pumpkin Head movie.

Once the disk was popped into the player and the play button pushed, Dai dashed to turn off her lights. She then scooted her poppadum chair before her TV, grabbed her bowl of popcorn, and then curled into the large bowl shaped construct to snuggle down for the movie. Now she was set; the movie began to play.

**I**t started with an odd feeling, a prickling sensation that danced along the inside of Dai's spine and sent a sensation of unwanted discomfort along her nerves. Eyes, cruel and evil, were watching her from the shadows - eyes belonging to an unseen creature, a demon of sorts. Dai's entire body went stiff, her eyes narrowed, her heart beat increased, and her fear contorted within her. Dai wanted to turn around, to look about her room, yet she found herself frozen where she sat with her eyes locked upon her TV.

A full body shudder raced through her sending chills across her skin. As her fear increased, her jaws clamped shut threatening to break under the intense pressure that suddenly fell upon the room. Dai's body felt as if a massive weight was pushing down upon her, pressing upon her soul. Every muscle in her began to shake as if strained to the limits, and her breaths became sharp and quick gasps. With her body being pushed down into her chair by an invisible hand, she grasped the round curve of the chair's structure till her knuckles turned white.

From the hallway, outside of the bedroom, a Garganta formed, opening and creating a structural space within the two different worlds, an opening to a new type of Hell. From within the distorted blackness appeared a tall and lean frame and, as the rip continued to grow, more of the form was revealed. The being took a moment to look about the unknown environment before a cruel grin spread upon his handsome mouth, and with a snort of annoyance, the apparent man stepped forth allowing the ethereal doorway to close behind him.

Grimmjow Jaejerjaques - in all his cruel, twisted, and arrogant glory - walked towards to the open door of the bedroom. Teal-blue eyes, cold and filled with excitement, settled upon the trembling female cowering within a chair. His lips twisted to the side, curling in to a sadistic version of a smile and against the fragment of bone covering much of the right side of his jaw and cheek - the remnants of his once Hollow mask.

Grimmjow muttered within his mind as he gazed upon the quivering back, _"__So, this is her."_

Dai whimpered, and her fingernails dug themselves into the varnished whicker of her chair. Somebody was in the room; she could feel such an imposing presence from all about her. She wanted to move, but her muscles wouldn't let her! Within her chest, her heart threatened to explode with each powerful thrust, and she felt sick to her stomach with her mind turning circles as nausea gripped her soul. With a little squeak, Dai let her eyes shift within their sockets in a frightful attempt to try and see what was behind her.

Grimmjow's eyes took in his surroundings as he stuffed his hands into the folds of his Hakama. Showing a wicked sneer, his lips drew back as his deadly form stepped forwards and to the back of the chair, looming dangerously close. "Looks like you were waiting for me. Good, that makes my job so much easier."

Dai gasped, her breath catching in her throat, as a deep voice whispered in a breath of cool air at the back of her neck. Whimpering, she narrowed her eyes and slowly began to look over her shoulder.

Grimmjow was enjoying himself while watching his prey spasm beneath the intense exertion of his Spiritual Pressure. "I may not be able to hurt you,' he purred, reaching out a hand to thread his fingers into the girl's short locks of highlighted brown, grabbing a fist full and yanking her head back roughly, 'but I'm certainly going to enjoy you."

Dai let out a sharp yelp of pain as her head was yanked back. She twisted about, reaching behind her to try and pull the grip from her hair but the tension only increased. With wide eyes, she looked back over her shoulder and what she saw terrified her. Behind her chair was a man hovering close to her with uneven locks of blue kissing a wickedly handsome face etched with a wild grin. She stared at an exposed chest of beautifully crafted muscles beneath smooth flesh, but when her sight set upon a hole in the middle of his abdomen, a sharp cry rushed from her lips. She could see an abyss of blackness where organs, tissue, and flesh should have been.

Horror gripped her so tightly that Dai couldn't breathe! Another yank upon her hair brought eyes to return to the man's snarling face. The look of a predator bore down upon her with lips exposing pearl teeth, along with slender feline-like eyes lined beneath with a streak of blue at the corners. But what drew her attention was a formation upon the right side of his face covering his cheek and jaw. Whatever it was, it appeared to be solid bone - hard, smooth, and carved to resemble a jaw with bestial teeth.

Grimmjow tipped his head as the twist of his lips slid flat, and his eyes locked to hers as he slowly tightened his fingers till his grip threatened to pull hair directly from her scalp. Torture was one of his favorite past times, especially when involving a pathetic little soul like this one. With orders to kill, he would certainly take his time and enjoy every moment of taking her life. Oh, the possibilities! But first, some fun. At the same time, he released both his grip and the overwhelming presence of his Spiritual Pressure, and with but one shove, the Espada sent the human flying out from her chair and across the room to slam into the wall. The scream of shock that sounded from her was music to his ears, but the groan of surging pain from the human as she fell limp to the floor was pleasure to his dark soul.

"This is going to be too easy," he spat out, growling as he observed the young woman trying to pick herself up from the floor.

Dai's vision swam as shock prickled her eye-sight. Pain racked her body from head to toe, and when her eyes opened, she saw stars spinning within her view. With a nip of ache in her hip, she slowly pushed her back to the wall till she was partially sitting up. Blood dripped down her chin from a crack in her lip and her neck hurt as if something had been torn. Past the stars and the onset of dizziness, Dai locked her eyes on the creature of a man stepping casually over to her while casting her another heartless sneer.

"That looks like it hurt." Grimmjow chuckled as he came to stand a few feet before her. His teal eyes narrowed upon the quivering female.

"What do you,' Dai gulped a wad of blood down her throat, 'want with me?"

Grimmjow lifted his chin and set the most vicious smile upon his lips. "Your life."

Dai screamed, her throat going raw with pain, as the man reached a hand down to her with such speed that she barely saw the arm snap out; however, she certainly felt his fingers wrap about her throat, lifting her slowly from the floor. Both her arms and her legs went limp as Dai dangled from the impossible grip. With her air quickly depleting, she was left gulping and struggling to breathe. Suddenly, air surged through her lungs as she was flung away from the wall with a flick of the man's wrist. She landed with a thump upon the bed, bouncing a few times before stopping with the aid of the wall behind her. Pain stabbed her back, twisting through her spine as she lay limp and gasping. She couldn't move. Muscles, tendons, and organs throbbed from the small amount of intense abuse that had landed upon her body. At least she could open her eyes, and her vision watched intently as the man crossed the room to stop at the edge of the bed before he set a bent knee upon the soft mattress.

Grimmjow grinned wickedly while watching the petite female tremble. She was spread out perfectly before him, panting and heaving and caressed by the hand of terror. How lovely. That was the one thing that excited him about human females over Arrancar females - fear; it was an aphrodisiac to him. With her unable to move, Grimmjow reached forwards to grip the top of her green and black plaid top as he purred sadistically, "Time for some fun." The sound of ripping fabric and a high pitched scream set his blood to boil with excitement.

Dai tried to scream but the very presence of this man took both her voice and her breath directly from her. He was treating her like some prey to his delights, and when he tore away most of her shirt, Dai felt hot tears spill from her eyes. The way his body came upon the bed, stalking along hers with one set of fingers skimming along her body, made her violently ill. She squirmed, bucking and twisting beneath the advancing male, but once his powerful weight came to hold her still, pinning her against the bed and beneath his tight body, her protests stopped. The look upon his face was truly wicked and took the very life from her eyes.

"Aww,' Grimmjow sarcastically purred in mock pity as he reached a hand up to gather tears on his fingertips, 'look, you're crying."

He rubbed his slickened fingertips together. "Such fear you must be feeling, knowing that you're going to die. You have no way to fight me; you'll just drag out your suffering if you do."

Dai felt her throat tighten before she gagged as his touch skimmed down her chin and throat. She watched his eyes close as his hand set against the pounding pulse line within her neck as if he was enjoying the violent flow of blood. "Please…don't…"

The man's teal eyes opened and a twisted and hungered look crept across his face. Did she just beg him to stop? His lips coiled to a sadistic sneer. "Please don't…what?" Grimmjow asked just as his eyes began to follow the movements of his fingers down her throat, over her collarbone then over one small and quivering breast.

The young woman beneath him gave a choked scream as she began to twist against him once again, fighting with a surge of frantic vitality. Her naked skin felt so warm beneath his touch, so firm yet soft - unlike the females of his 'species'. He played with her flesh, molding his fingers about her small breast while pressing and kneading the flesh to draw more groans of discomfort and frightful suffering from the girl.

Leaning closer to her and purposefully dragging his male physique along her, Grimmjow Jaejerjaques purred darkly, "Keep fighting. I like it."

His touch made her tremble and brought more tears to her eyes. Dai could not fight back against him as he took her wrists within one hand and slammed them hard to her bed with such strength that even upon the soft mattress something popped. Dai forced a wad of bile down her throat when his unnatural cool breath fell against her neck, soon followed by his mouth. Though she struggled, he continued to fondle her flesh, caressing and squeezing her breast till a nip of pain coursed her body.

She tasted of something sweet, or so said the tip of his tongue as the slickened muscle trailed along her neck. He liked feeling her quiver, jerking against him, and the aggressive moves brought more excitement to his body along with the furthering want to take his time with her. Lord Aizen didn't give him a time to return, only gave Grimmjow specific instructions to dispatch the human. The way of achieving the Espada's goal was left up to him, and that meant just one thing - fun, fun, and more fun - that was, till an all too familiar prickling sensation came across him. Another Garganta was opening from out in the hallway, and the new formation made Grimmjow growl against the mortal's sweet flesh as his fingers tightened in reflex with a painful bite to the breast he held. Slowly, his teal-blue eyes shifted in their sockets to glance across the girl's quivering jugular to see an effeminate form slowly materializing within the Garganta just outside the bedroom door.

"What the fuck do you want?" hissed Grimmjow against Dai's neck. He heard the girl whimper then snarled within her ear, "If you value your life, don't fucking move."

A thin set of delicate lips formed a mockingly sweet smile as the image of Luppi appeared in the doorway. One arm was lifted up within too long of a sleeve to tap clothed fingers to a thin cheek while the other arm was held comfortably against the partially exposed mid-drift of a short and feminine looking male. His purplish eyes narrowed playfully upon the scene playing out before him. "My, my, what's this?" the Arrancar purred as his mocking smile turned to a playful grin. "Grimmjow's getting his jollies? I think I'm going to be sick."

Lifting his head, the Sixth Espada growled viciously towards the low level Arrancar. "What do you want, you little shit?"

Luppi wasn't paying attention to Grimmjow or the hiss of his words; instead, he was looking upon the quivering and very terrified human girl laid out beneath the Espada. The look of fear mixed with tears was so stunning that he felt his heart skip a few beats. Humans were not considered beautiful by any means to the Arrancar, but there was no denying that this one certainly peeked his interest. Their eyes met, his and the human's, and for a moment he thought he saw her looking at him as if he, Luppi, was there to save her pitiful life. Ulquiorra certainly had his thoughts backwards. Humans were not trash, for one could not enjoy trash like Luppi could certainly enjoy this female.

"Answer me," Grimmjow hissed as his powerful form slowly rose away from Dai.

Only after a moment, or two, Luppi's violet eyes drift from the young woman to look upon the twisted rage that shined within Grimmjow's eyes. How ugly. "Lord Aizen sent me to remind you that you are not to hurt this girl. He really doesn't trust you, Grimmjow," he said with his lips tucking in a grin. "I'm thinking that the barbaric act you were about to do would fall under hurting her. Count yourself lucky that I arrived when I did. Otherwise, Lord Aizen would be very, very upset."

The sound that came from Grimmjow matched an animalistic snarl. He didn't like it when 'plans' changed at the last minute, especially when they interfered with his play time. It was very rare for any of them, Espada or Arrancar, to enjoy the taboo hot flesh of a human and the fear that came with the pleasure. So he wasn't happy that his play time had been canceled by an executive order.

"What am I supposed to do with her now?" he muttered. He drew away from Dai and stood from the bed without a care that Dai's breasts were partially exposed and that Luppi's amused eyes were now looking upon her nudity with dangerous curiosity. Without looking to the human, Grimmjow muttered to her, "Cover yourself, girl."

Dai's body refused to move as she stared with wide eyes at the two till her mind caught up with her fear and reminded her that she could now move, and move she did. With a choked sob, Dai scrambled to the top of her bed, kicking at the covers till she was pressed tightly to the head-board. She then tried to cover her bare flesh with the remnants of her shirt, but her hands were shaking so violently that the fabric kept slipping from her fingers.

Luppi rolled his eyes with a toss of his arms up sending the long sleeves of his uniform about him with his shoulders ending in a 'not caring' shrug. "Your orders are to bring her back without a scratch upon her flesh. That's all I am to report."

Grimmjow's lips twitched as his distaste for Luppi heightened. His eyes shifted to look upon the quivering girl, and with a huff and a growl, Grimmjow shoved his hands inside his white Hakama. He hissed angrily as he stepped towards the still formed Garganta, "Get up, girl. You're coming with us."

Dai blinked her eyes, looking between the two, and tears flowed down her cheeks. However, her body still refused to move.

Grimmjow stopped and looked back over his shoulder to her. "I said, come here."

Though she heard the man growl out his directive, her stubborn fear kept her upon the bed. She shook her head with a subtle whimper.

"What was that?" Grimm hissed, arching a brow.

Luppi stepped up to the bed and close to the rather intriguing human. Behind her brown and gold streaked hair, resembling his own styling but in a shorter cut, he could see the girl's green eyes lock upon him with fear dancing within. "Look what you have done," he muttered, leaning closer to the girl. "You have scared her to death."

Grimmjow snorted in disgust at the way Luppi was talking. "Who the fuck cares? If she won't move on her own, make her move."

Luppi cast a flat, unamused look to the Espada of higher rank. "What a brute," he whispered sarcastically then looked back to the girl to offer a fake smile of gentleness. "You really have no choice, you know," he told her. "If you don't come with us of your own free will, you will be forced. I can promise you that moving on your own will mean less pain and suffering for you in the end."

He leaned forwards even more till their faces were just inches apart. When she didn't budge beneath his critical gaze, Luppi muttered to himself then reached out wrapping fingers and the ends of a sleeve around her upper right arm. "I would suggest that you don't push your luck, girl."

Dai gave a gasp of fright the moment powerful fingers gripped her arm. She thought this one, looking to be her age or younger, would show a little leniency towards her but his strength was just as strong as the other and nearly crushed her arm. With a wince of pain, she was pulled from the bed, stumbling as she was tugged directly to the open rift where black and purple streaks twisted from within. The other man stood within the rift, waiting for them and offering her a look of disgust the moment she was shoved forwards by the other. Horror took Dai as she spun about just as the Garganta began to close behind her. With a cry escaping her lips, Dai made one last attempt at lurching to safety. However, an immensely powerful arm, corded tightly of muscle and exposed skin, wrapped about her waist literally pulling her off her feet and lifting her up and against an equally hard body.

A rumbled chuckle slid from Grimmjow's sneering lips that flashed sharp teeth.

From behind her, Dai felt cool breath cascade along her neck as she was hugged against a bare chest by one arm, but it was the words that came next that froze Dai's blood cold within her veins.

"I'm going to enjoy you…"

24


	9. Tears

Honey Eyes A Bleach Fanfiction S . Lazic

Tears

_**A**__izen gave Kazumi one night to make the most painful and terrifying decision she had ever been faced with. Either she destroys what made her and Shinji's life perfect or defy the request of a mad-man and forfeit both her life and the life of her unborn child. One choice would leave her in a life tied to the insanity of one man while the other would lead her to a life of freedom where she could wait for her dear Shinji in death. Then again, what if Aizen's words were true and Shinji's body had not vanished? What if he was alive and in the World of the Living? She was still lost to him, if that were the case. There was no way she could go and look for him, not now. Even if she did manage to sneak away through a Senkaimon, somehow, Aizen would inform the Head-Captain and she would be hunted down and dragged back to face a charge of desertion, for no Soul Reaper ever left or 'retired' from the Seireitei. She would be found guilty, of course, and then executed thus extinguishing her unborn child. In the end, either choice would be a loss. _

_So what was she to do? _

_Kazumi's shaking hands stroked her stomach, absent mindedly seeking out the warmth within and taking comfort in knowing that a part of Shinji still existed. Her thoughts drifted to him, her lover and her Captain. She missed his smirk, his eyes, and the way he would make faces behind peoples' backs while mocking them playfully. She missed the way he and Hiyori would bicker and fall into pointless arguments. Oh, no! Hiyori. She was gone too - all of them - their friends were gone. She had not only lost Shinji but she had lost Hiyori as well! _

_Deep down Kazumi knew Aizen was behind it all. Could she really trust him that he would not let anything happen to her and her child? No, of course not. There was no way she could trust that man to keep her child safe. If it was true that this baby could have Hollow genetics, if the baby did survive, Aizen would use it for his own purposes. He would turn hers and Shinji's child in to a weapon of chaos._

_Her soft lips coiled as a snarl danced forth and her fingers curled to grip the fabric of her Shihakusho as she bowed her head. Tears began to slide from her eyes as they closed, and a slow cry escaped her lips. Her predicament was just too much pain to suffer alone. "Shinji…' she whispered past her cries, 'what do I do?" More tears began to seep from her eyes, caressing her cheeks to drip to the wood floor. "I need you. Your child needs you. What do I do?"_

_Her question went unanswered. _

_This was just too hard for her. Up she went, standing upon quivering legs to step over to the desk. Her eyes locked upon the folded white Haori that had belonged to her lover, and with trembling fingers, she reached out to stroke fingertips along the fabric. Gently and ever so carefully, as if it was the most precious item in the world to her, Kazumi gathered up the cloth, brought it to her, and buried her face within it. His scent still lingered upon the fabric. A wave of agonizing torment flooded through her as she hugged the Haori to her. More tears dripped down her cheeks to soak the white fabric. No one would wear this again. Sōsuke may have his own, but this one belonged to the true Captain of Squad Five. _

_A growl trickled past her lips as her eyes lifted to the doors. Sōsuke had departed not but ten minutes ago while wearing his proud smile laced with an unnatural coldness. There was no way she would give herself to him. Aizen would expect her to be his in full, and that would never be possible. Her heart, her soul, and her body belonged, and always would belong, to Shinji. Aizen would never touch her, would never kiss her, and would never embrace her or have her in the throes of pleasure. Either he would die by her hand or he would have to kill her himself, but Kazumi would fight him tooth and nail before he dare lay one finger upon her unborn child. _

_It seemed as if her mind slipped out of her control along with the muscles of her body as she found herself unfolding the Haori and slipping it on. Though too large for her, the fabric embraced her with familiar warmth. Her arms came to wrap about herself, hugging her tenderly as if mimicking the many times Shinji had embraced her in his Haori. She closed her eyes beneath a layer of thick, long lashes of dark chestnut as her lips parted in a deep, vibrating whimper as the only answer to her questions came full force into her. _

_If Shinji could not have her, no one would ever have her. _

_Slowly, her beautiful tear streaked and blood shot eyes shifted to Shinji's old desk where her remaining Zanpakutou rested. It was a small Zanpakutou, and nothing truly to be inspired by. However, she loved her Zanpakutou, and now her beloved Zanpakutou would perform its greatest duty. Her trembling fingers reached out to wrap about the simplistic hilt. __The weapon felt warm within her fingers, humming with life that called to her. Seiji, the Whisperer, was speaking to her from deep within his world. Yet, at this moment, longing laced through her as she felt a loss that Ren was not with his brother as her Zanpakutou was originally a set of twin weapons - now only one. _

_A pinch of guilt fluttered within her for what she was about to do was not a choice brought on by wisdom but one made out of fear. Her skilled fingers gripped the hilt and the sheath as a kiss of metal was heard as she drew the blade from within. Stepping back, Kazumi came to kneel among the piles of records with Shinji's Haori pooling about her as she lifted the simple blade before her eyes. He would hate her for what she was going to command of him, her beloved Seiji._

"_Whisper to me, Seiji." _

_Running her fingers along the blade bid the spirit within to obey her command. The Zanpakutou changed shape, shifting from the simple dagger to a Kukri blade with a hilt of ebony and an elongating blade that began to curve to deadly point. Before her eyes, the intricate tribal carvings upon the blade began to form, appearing to be etched into the metal and, as each symbol was formed, inky blackness seeped forth from the hilt to paint the symbols. _

_Seiji responded to her call, speaking softly to her in the forms of subtle and sensual whispers from deep within her soul. He was worried, almost frightened and boarding angry. __Kazumi could feel his emotions yet kept him from manifesting himself as he desired to do. At this point, she did not need to hear the wise spirit of her Zanpakutou preach to her. She smiled softly upon remembering how Seiji had always been the logical of her two Zanpakutou, the opposite of the twin blade Ren. Seiji balanced her emotional side rather well while Ren fed upon the instability that swirled within Seiji. So she embraced her dear friend by holding the weapon against her chest as she bowed her head forwards to let tears drip down to the carved hilt. _

_She could feel Seiji's increasing distress but continued to block him from manifesting. Doing so was quickly exhausting her as her Zanpakutou was incredibly powerful, and tenacious. Kazumi tightened her grip as the blade began to hum louder and vibrate angrily._

"_Forgive me, Seiji," she said softly, bowing her head even more. "I have lost him. Shinji is gone."_

_The vibrations coming from the blade increased and a flare of the Zanpakutou's Spirit Energy bloomed about the weapon and her hands. He was angry, very angry._

"_I cannot let Sōsuke have me, nor can I let him have my child. This is my only choice. Either way, I will live in a created Hellish prison without the one person whom I love." Her tears fell harder, and her cheeks burned and her eyes stung. "I love him, Seiji. I cannot live without him." Collapsing, Kazumi sobbed as her tears splattered the wood floor._

_Still the weapon cried out, humming loudly and vibrating violently in aggressive protests - but she would not listen. _

_There was no going back now as she arched her body back up and locked her eyes upon the vacant room before her. Shinji was gone, and this place held no more meaning to her. He was her Captain and would always be her life. As she raised a slender wrist out before her, she flipped her Kukri within her skilled fingers with a hum sounding as the blade kissed through the air till the metal kissed her wrist; the tip of the curved blade pointed towards her fingers. This way the damage would be irreversible. Her blood would be spilled this night, and in her last breath she would be with her beloved - forever._

_She could hear Seiji's melodic voice of multiple tones screaming out from his world, franticly trying to break through to manifest and stop her. He could not let her do this…_

_A__nguish tore through Seiji as he felt hot blood flood his throat, pooling upwards till streams of steaming crimson poured forth to stain his opaque flesh. The Zanpakutou fell to his knees upon the dark, grassy ground that comprised his words as horrific, agonizing suffering raked him with knife-like nails. Every muscle in his body shook with uncontrollable spasms, and he slumped forwards to dig his hands into the soft grass till his lean fingers curled into what could be called ground. Blood continued to seep from his mouth, dripping like thick ink to splatter his hands. Kazumi's life, this was her life! _

_Seiji's solid black eyes widened as the black markings coiling about his body began to fade, one black curl at a time. With each line and swirl that disappeared from his opaque body, his own life began to trickle away. The Zanpakutou cried out in unadulterated mourning for the loss of his beloved Mistress while reaching forwards with a trembling arm out into the void of his world. _

_One heart wrenching word was forced from his flooded throat, bubbling up in a cry of tormented suffering, "Kazumi!"_

_**S**__he was so cold laying upon the floor limp and unmoving and with her eyes fixated upon the blood that was seeping from the gaping wound on her wrist. Within her other hand rested the hilt of Seiji, his blade shining beneath a thin layer of her hot life. Kazumi could see through her clouding vision the black carvings of Seiji's life start to vanish. _

_So it was true. If she died, then so did he. How sad. Her lips parted in an attempt to speak his name…Seiji…yet what came out was only a wet, bloody choke. Her body felt heavy, and it was getting hard to breathe. She could taste the staleness of her metallic blood rising within her throat, pushing past her lips to spread beneath her cheek. How odd, Kazumi felt no pain as the pool of blood beneath her began to spread and thickened against her, staining the long and flowing sleeves of her lover's Haori bright red. She would die, as he died, and as their child would. _

_Sōsuke would be alone forever while she would be forever with Shinji and their baby._

_Suddenly the Shoji panel of the room opened shedding darkness and a breeze inwards. There was a form moving inwards to quickly come to loom over her. There was an instant where Kazumi thought Sōsuke had returned, yet this person she had never seen before. But as the stranger stepped closer to her, a chilling aura came as well. Kazumi, in her dying moment, felt fear._

"_My, my,' purred a cold and amused voice, 'I see that I have arrived just in time." Mayuri Kurotsuchi snapped his head to the side at a freakishly awkward angle as his toothy grin curled in to a mocking and delightful sneer. "You really have made a mess of yourself, my dear." _

_The voice, and the man it belonged to, made what little blood was left within Kazumi's cooling body run cold. He was moving towards her, stepping upon Shinji's records without a second thought yet taking excellent care not to step in the pool of blood as he circled around her. When he disappeared behind her, Kazumi tried to whimper yet the sound was nothing but a bloody sob. _

"_This certainly was not what I was told to expect. This is a bit dramatic, don't you think?" Mayuri chuckled as he came to kneel behind the almost lifeless body. Then he groaned and reached over her body so his long, white fingers could ease the hilt of her released Zanpakutou from her grip then wrapped the Zanpakutou within a white cloth embroidered with symbols - spells. After picking up the sheath, he stuffed both items into a pocket._

_Kazumi wanted to scream as she watched the unknown man wrap the cloth about her Zanpakutou before tucking the weapon away. No! Seiji was hers! _

_Mayuri sighed, shaking the tuft of blue hair atop his head as his golden eyes looked down to the dying woman. "How did I get involved in this? I really hate being in debt to any one, doing favors for favors. Kisuke will owe me greatly for this." He shrugged and whined once again, "Oh, well." _

_Kazumi felt his arms slipping beneath her, then she was being lifted. Her head lulled forwards as she was manipulated within his uncaring embrace and rolled till she was tucked against a hard, warm body. Her head moved to rest limply against a skinny shoulder with her eyes looking up towards the strangest face she had ever seen. His eyes were golden-brown and his face was painted white with a black streak from ear to ear over his eyes. At each ear of his there were gold rods sticking out, and only a tuft of blue hair around the crown of his head. His eyes were so cold…_

"_Such a tragedy,' Mayuri mewed in his oddly amused voice, 'young love ripped apart by jealousy and sent upon a path of destruction and the pointless spilling of innocent blood. I would say you have about a ten percent chance of living and a five percent chance of surviving your trip to the world of the living, if, that is, you survive the ten percent." He chuckled and glanced down to the woman as he walked to the door, leaving the pulled panel open behind him. Let somebody else clean up the mess inside._

_Kazumi wanted to scream, but no sound came forth. Her life was slipping away, drop by thin, bloody drop. As she was taken from Shinji's office, everything went black. The last thing she heard was the man's dry chortle and his cold words, "It's up to Kisuke now, if you live or if you die. Let's hope I can get you to him in time."_

'_Please, let me die…'_

…**S**hinji…

Honey eyes drifted open to gaze up to the dark ceiling, and blinking, Juliana woke from sleep. Frowning, she lifted a hand to set fingertips to a wet cheek. Tears? She had been crying in her sleep, again, and from such a powerful and emotional dream. She dreamt that Kazumi had taken her own life when she realized that her life had come to an end. Shinji had been her life, and with him gone there was nothing left for her to live for, not even the life of their child. Even their child could not bring meaning to her life. How sad. Kazumi had sacrificed herself thus taking the life of her child in order to protect her child.

Sighing, Juliana closed her eyes and wiped away her tears before looking to her side. She could see his face within the dark, and the image soothed her unease. Shinji lay upon his bare stomach with his thin arms embracing a pillow that was cradled beneath a cheek. He was still deep within his sleep and seemingly slumbering in peace. A smile lifted her frown as she shifted to her side so she could gaze to him. Reaching out a hand, she timidly brushed her fingers along a thin cheek of his to tuck back a lock of his short golden-blond hair. He shifted in his sleep, muttering something as he pressed his cheek to the pillow.

One thought drifted through her mind as she looked upon his handsome, peaceful, and sleeping features. Something within her whispered to her that she and Kazumi were not so different, that the blood running through her veins was not any different than the blood that had been left to stain the floor in her dream. There was a voice deep from within her that whispered softly to her, calling to her by the name she was given in her past life. The voice was so warm and so soft but desperate and filled with painful remorse. It spoke to her in a multitude of male voices, all melting into one vibrating tone. She had never heard this voice before, but she knew well enough that it had been within her all this time.

Though Juliana couldn't tell from either dream if Kazumi and Shinji had become anything more than lovers, it was obvious that the child meant the world to her. But had Shinji known of the child before his death? Had he been taken from her before she had a chance to tell him of her pregnancy? It was impossible to tell since her dreams were nothing but bits and pieces of information of the larger story seen only through her disassociated dreams. However, one thing was for sure, through her dreams she knew that Kazumi and Shinji had loved each other deeply. Shinji had been her world - her very life.

Leaning closer to him, she draped an arm over his naked side, exposed from the fall of the sheet that puddled about his thin waist. She touched a kiss to his forehead and felt his breath hitch against her cheek. She would never let him go. Closing her eyes, she willed herself back to sleep and hoped her dreams would be reminiscent of the sensuality she had shared with Shinji this night and not of the tortures of their past.

A few hours later, Juliana's eyes fluttered opened, hazed from her fitful sleep. The room about her was still dark, no lights had been turned on, but there was a soft glow from the clock indicating that the time was just past eight-thirty in the morning. Every muscle in her body felt alive, but so very tired. Stretching her arms up and over her head, she reveled in the luscious remains of sexual delight that lingered about her. Everything around her smelled of him, the pillows and the bed linen, even her body smelled of him. Glancing to the side, Juliana noticed that Shinji was gone from the bed. The spot where he had laid was still warm, however. He had not been gone for long.

Juliana forced herself from the bed, running fingers through her tousled hair only to wince when she caught a snag. Yawning, she turned on a bedside lamp, blinking quickly as light flooded the room to agitate her eyes. As she looked about, rubbing at her eyes, she noticed a piece of paper resting upon his pillow. Shinji had left a note? Stretching, she snagged the paper, unfolding it so she could read it.

"_I'll be gone today, training. Have fun without me. Shinji."_

"Training? I wonder what that means?" she asked herself.

Shrugging her shoulders, Juliana turned to the next task at hand. She needed a shower after such a sensual night. She took a leisurely shower, enjoying the caress of warm water as her lazy muscles revived themselves. After the shower, she dressed then made her way from the bathroom. There was a hum upon her lips as she pulled the towel from her damp hair, that was, till her eyes set upon Hiyori, who was wickedly grinning at her.

Juliana stared at the shorter woman sitting cross-legged upon the bed. "What are you doing in here?" she quizzically asked.

Hiyori grinned then began to chuckle a devious chuckle. "Do you know we could hear you two all night long going at it like rabbits?"

Juliana, with a palm against her pounding chest, turned her eyes to glare to Hiyori. "No way," she muttered.

Hiyori barked out a laugh as she hunched forwards while narrowing one eye towards her long-lost friend. "Okay, so we couldn't hear you, but that's probably a good thing any way. Huh?"

Juliana rolled her eyes as she continued across the room to sit upon the bed, taking her overnight bag with her. She continued to rub the towel vigorously through her chestnut hair as she searched for her hairbrush. "Well, if you want to know the details, I can tell you." Juliana cast the shorter woman a dangerous grin and a threatening eye.

Hiyori blinked then gagged as she scooted away. "No thanks. I don't want my ears to bleed."

"You are such a brat," laughed Juliana as she tossed the towel aside.

Hiyori shrugged. "I've been called worse." Sitting up, she looked to her reincarnated friend and asked in a quiet voice, "So, how does it feel to be back with him?"

Juliana sighed while looking down to a fresh shirt she pulled from the bag. Though she gave a soft smile, she looked away with a somber gaze to her eyes. "Honestly? It feels wonder, Hiyori. Being with him has made me realize that I have finally found what I have been looking for all these years. Now I know why I have felt so empty, so lost."

Hiyori arched a brow and asked, "What do you mean?"

"I told Shinji last night that for my entire life, as far as I can remember, I have been waiting for somebody. I never knew who and I never knew why, but I remember staring out the windows of the houses that I have lived in expecting to see somebody staring back at me. I have wanted to date guys, but at the same time I judged every single one of them based upon an imaginary guy I was waiting for. None of them were him. Eventually, I just gave up and turned my attention to more important things, like my studies."

"So what did you feel when you saw Shinji for the first time?"

Juliana chuckled, and her voice softened. "The feeling of Déjà vu."

"I see. Yeah, Déjà vu should never be ignored. It's our sixth sense letting us know that something important is happening, something we should pay attention to."

"Yeah,' breathed Juliana with a little smile pulling her lips, 'I just wish these dreams would stop. I keep having them."

Hiyori's eyes narrowed as she tipped her head. "Dreams? What dreams?"

"Weird dreams, or maybe just cell memories coming through now that I'm closer to Shinji and all of you."

"Tell me about them."

"I had a few last night. I woke up crying after both of them, but Shinji only knows of one since I woke him up with the first." She chuckled. "He slept through the second one."

"He could sleep through a bomb, if given the chance."

"I guess so." Taking a breath, Juliana began to explain her dreams, keeping what she thought as personal details out of the conversation. "In the first dream, I was in a room that I knew to have been Shinji's. It felt so familiar and inviting, as if it was my sanctuary. I saw my old self kneeling and crying on the floor, and around me were piles of old records."

"Records? Shinji used to collect jazz records."

Nodding, Juliana drew her tongue slowly over her lips. "Yeah, that's what he said. Anyway, a man named Sōsuke came into the room." From next to her, she heard a deep snarl. So, Hiyori wasn't a fan of the man either. That didn't surprise Juliana. "That man was cold, so very cold. I doubt his heart could ever thaw. I know that the man was an empty soul who cared only for his goals, and I knew that he killed all of you. I know he did, even though he told me a concocted story that circumvented his involvement. He tried to convince me to forget Shinji, telling me that Shinji was dead, that you all were dead. Sōsuke said that if I willingly gave myself to him, he would overlook my indiscretion, my affair with Shinji, and keep my secret safe."

"Aizen's such an asshole. And you're right, I don't think he's ever had a heart to begin with. But what secret did you have? I mean, only a few of us knew that you and Shinji were lovers back then. Even if your relationship with him came out in the open, I doubt the Head-Captain would have cared."

"This secret wasn't something that could have been ignored, Hiyori, not when Sōsuke said that Shinji could have passed on his Hollow genetics to our child."

Hiyori narrowed her eyes, and a lick of anger flicked within her gaze. "I'm not following you."

Juliana turned to look to her friend and a little tear skimmed down her cheek. "Kazumi was pregnant when Shinji went missing."

"A kid? You were…."

Juliana gave a curt nod of her head and replied sadly, "Sōsuke threatened to expose the child if I did not comply with his demands. He gave me two options: either side with him, be given protection and safety, or he would expose my secret to the Head-Captain. He said that if the Head-Captain discovered my secret that he would terminate the child, with or without my consent."

Juliana released a shuddering breath then continued on with the explanation of her dream. "It was a horrible dream, Hiyori. It was more like a nightmare. I was so disturbed by it that Shinji had to shake me to wake me up."

Hiyori huffed. "I don't know what happened after Shinji, me, and the rest of us came down here, but I know you weren't pregnant." She snorted with her chin lifting. "Trust me, if Shinji had knocked you up, I would have been the first to know."

"Why do you say that?"

"Me and you were like sisters," said Hiyori. "We told each other everything. You would have told me."

"Hiyori, I don't think Kazumi had told Shinji yet." Juliana shrugged her shoulders and released a quivering breath. "He died without knowing he was going to be a father. Kazumi failed him." Bowing her head, Juliana threaded her fingers into her wet hair. "Kazumi did something horrible, Hiyori. I saw it in the second dream."

Frowning, and with her usual disgruntled features saddening, Hiyori slipped closer to Juliana and reached out to touch her on the shoulder. "What happened in the second dream?"

Sniffling, Juliana raised her eyes. "Kazumi took her life."

Hiyori's face went pale and her eyes turned dark with anger. "Don't lie to me. You'd never do that, especially if you were pregnant. You would never take the life of an innocent baby, especially your own kid!"

"I know!" barked Juliana, jerking away and standing from the bed. She began to pace and saw Hiyori's angry eyes following her every step. "But she did, through agonizing desperation and extreme sadness. I can't put into words the suffering I felt coming from that dream, but I saw the entire event play out before my eyes, but at the same time I was watching it all happen from behind Kazumi's eyes. After Sōsuke left, I saw her take up a dagger of some sort that belonged to Kazumi after I saw her put on a long white coat that had belonged to Shinji. I knew it had been his because Sōsuke had been wearing one that was similar, and she told him that Shinji would be the only Captain of his Squad. Whatever that meant."

"Squad Five."

Juliana looked to Hiyori.

"Shinji was Captain of Squad Five and Sōsuke Aizen had been his Lieutenant. Sōsuke had taken over the position temporarily before he was assigned permanently." Hiyori's shoulders slumped and she looked down to the floor. "The coat you put on is called a Haori. Each Captain has one with their Squad number on the back. And the weapon you saw is called a Zanpakutou, every Shinigami has one. You not only had one but two. Your Zanpakutou were very rare."

Juliana looked down to her left wrist where she rubbed at the vein running beneath her skin. "I saw Kazumi use the blade to slice open her wrist. And I remember in the dream that I could feel intense emotions coming from the weapon - anger, sadness, and desperation. As she lay dying, I saw somebody came into the room."

"Who was it?"

"I don't know. He never identified himself."

"What did the person look like?"

"He looked very bizarre. He was mad that he was doing a favor for somebody. I remember Kazumi feeling so angry when he took the blade from her, hiding it in his pocket. This guy scared me more than Aizen had, I remember that. He mocked me as he carried me from the room."

"Do you remember anything about this guy?"

"He spoke with an odd voice, a voice that scrapes along your insides yet is oddly…unique. He talked statistics, mentioning the percentage rate of survival Kazumi had of living before traveling to someplace known as the world of the living." A flash of recognition shined within her eyes, and she snapped her fingers towards Hiyori. "He said a name! Kisuke, I think."

Hiyori's attention was now perked, and she scooted forwards till she was on the edge of the bed. "Kisuke? Are you sure?" Juliana nodded, and Hiyori snarled. "That jerk."

Juliana tipped her head. "You know the name?"

Grumbling, Hiyori gave a curt nod. "Damn right I do. His full name is Kisuke Urahara."

"Who was he?"

"You mean, who is he? He's still alive. He replaced my Captain when she was promoted soon before the chaos erupted with Aizen. He was the only reason why all of us survived and were brought here to the world of the living."

"What exactly is the world of the living?"

"Here. The world were all the living live. It is between the realms of Heaven and Hell and running almost like a shadow to the Soul Society." Cocking her head to the side, Hiyori eyed her friend and inquired, "The guy in your dream, did he have white skin and blue hair, looked like a science experiment mated with a clown and something went horribly wrong?"

Juliana nodded and said, "Come to think of it, that would describe the guy perfectly."

Hiyori snorted. "That was Mayuri Kurotsuchi, the freak Kisuke put in charge of his Department of Research and Development. However, Mayuri is now Captain of Kisuke's old Squad, my old Squad."

Juliana sighed, turned about, and leaned against a dresser behind her. "This Mayuri person told me that it was up to Kisuke if I lived or if I died. I remember wanting to cry out to let me die so I could be with Shinji, because I thought Shinji was dead."

"That's impossible." Hiyori shook her head as she slipped from the bed to stomp back and forth about the room.

Juliana frowned in confusion. "What's impossible?"

"Kisuke fled the Soul Society after he vanished in the middle of his trial. Aizen framed him for what happened to us when all Kisuke did was try to help us and stop Aizen. The problem is the damn timeline of the events in your dreams." Hiyori took a deep breath before continuing with her pacing. "Your death happened after all of us left. There was no way Kisuke could have helped you when he was here with us. We had no communication with the Soul Society once we arrived here, and we have kept it that way. Even Kisuke has kept his activities and his connection with the Seireitei minimal over the last century to keep us a secret from the Head-Captain. He wouldn't have known what had happened to you, so there's no way he would have been able to send Mayuri to find you."

Juliana shook her head sending dampened chestnut all about her. "Well, clearly this Mayuri guy thought differently. He mentioned getting me to Kisuke."

"But Kisuke was here with us, has been since then."

"It's obvious that I didn't make it. I mean, if I am Kazumi reincarnated, then she had to have died before Mayuri could take her to Kisuke."

"This is all so confusing," groaned Hiyori."

"You're telling me."

"Kisuke's never mentioned what happened to you. I think he would have if he knew you were pregnant, but then Shinji has never mentioned fathering a child with you. Gah!" She threw up her arms then glowered heavily as she began to tap a foot. "If Kisuke's known about your history all this time, I'm going to pound his face in."

Juliana tipped her head. "You said Kisuke is still alive."

Hiyori gave a slow nod. "Yeah, he is. He owns a store in Karakura Town."

Quickly, Juliana rushed to grab her cell phone. "Take me to him. Now."

"What? Why?"

"You heard me." She looked to her friend with desperation shadowing her eyes and as she pulled her hair up into a messy bun. "I want to know what happened to me, and if this Kisuke has the answers, I have questions for him."

"But we've told you what happened to you. Why do you need to talk to him?"

"I think there's more to the story, Hiyori, than what we all know. I think my dreams are not dreams at all." Juliana muttered as she scrambled to find her shoes, "I think they're memories."

Hiyori frowned heavily as she watched her friend hustle about. "That's impossible. They're just past life memories coming out in the form of dreams."

"What if they're not?" asked Juliana, glancing quickly to Hiyori before turning her attention back to digging about in her bag. Where did she put that pill bottle?

"What else could they be?"

Juliana grinned when she found the bottle then turned her devious grin towards her friend. "Let's go find out, shall we?"

Groaning, Hiyori hung her head. "I was hoping we could go see a movie or something. Now we have to go see Kisuke? Great, just great."

Juliana smiled softly to Hiyori before stepping up to her, touching a hand to her shoulder. "Please, Hiyori. I need to see this person in order to get my answers. If he can shed some light on what's going on with my dreams, then it's worth putting a movie off till tonight."

"Tonight?" Hiyori groaned, rolling her eyes. "Oh, please. Once Shinji gets back from training with Ichigo, you're off limits. He won't let you out of his sight."

"I'll talk to him, alright? I think he would agree that this is rather important."

"But you were always with Shinji and always too busy to do stuff with me unless he let you go for one night. I deserve to spend some time with you, just us girls."

"I couldn't agree more, and we'll find our time." Juliana drew Hiyori into a gentle embrace. "But don't you want to find out what happened to me? To Kazumi?"

"Yeah, I guess," came a mumbled reply.

"Then help me with this. I don't know where this Kisuke lives, but you do." Drawing back, Juliana smiled hopefully. "We'll go right to a movie from his shop. I'll let Shinji know we'll be late. He and I can have a late dinner."

"You can't tell him we've gone to see Kisuke."

Juliana frowned. "I can't lie to him, and I can't keep secrets from him."

"What will you tell him?"

"I'll figure out something."

Hiyori gave a nod, so Juliana finished getting ready. But when the silence in the room grew too thick for her comfort, she glanced to her friend to see Hiyori staring at the floor and frowning. "What's wrong?" she asked.

Hiyori drew away seeming to shrink in on herself. She raised her eyes and said softly, "I don't feel comfortable about this. I don't want you to relive all that crap again, and, well,' she sighed, 'it'll just piss me off. Besides that, Shinji's going to throw a fit when he finds out, and he will, eventually."

"Alright. How about I give him a call and clear this with him first? You're right. He should know, to a degree." She wagged her phone, and Hiyori gave a nod. She quickly called Shinji then sat to the edge of the bed. After a few rings, Shinji picked up. "Hi, Shinji? It's me."

"_Me who?"_

"Who do you think? The girl who slept in your bed last night."

"_Which one?"_

"The one who's going to kick your ass when you get home!"

On the other end of the phone, Shinji's snarky chuckle was heard. _"Sounds kinky."_

Juliana shook her head and chuckled, "You're such a charmer."

"_Indeed I am. Sorry I had to leave early this morning. I've been needing to check up with Ichigo. What are you up to?"_

"No worries. Hiyori and I are going to be going out soon, but I thought I would give you a call and run something by you."

"_Oh, yeah? I don't want to know if you two plan to go burn down a church or something. Just leave me enough money to bail you out of jail. Hiyori can stay and do her time."_

Juliana chuckled softly and rolled her eyes. "Hiyori and I might be out for most of the day, maybe a little later than expected. Would you want to go to dinner tonight, someplace quiet and romantic, just the two of us?"

"_What are you two going to do?"_

Juliana shrugged her shoulders. "We're going to catch a movie, get some lunch, and wander the town."

"_Alright. That'll give me time to catch up on Ichigo's training. Give me a call later, okay?"_

"Of course. Have fun training. I'll call you soon."

"_Do that. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to go beat Ichigo into the ground."_

Juliana chuckled. "Alright. Talk to you soon." The phone call ended and she slipped her phone into the pocket of her jeans.

"Well? What did he say?"

Looking to Hiyori, Juliana winked. "He told us not to burn down a church, and that if we get tossed in jail, you're on your own."

"What a jerk."

Standing, Juliana clapped her hands together as a wicked smile touched her lips. "Well, let's get going. We have a past to dig up!"

**A**n hour and a half later, both Juliana and Hiyori stood outside a small shop on a lone street in Karakura Town. Juliana had never been in this neighborhood before, but for Hiyori, it had not been long enough. Hiyori looked up to friend and frowned as she saw hesitation showing within Juliana's honey eyes.

"We don't have to do this, you know," she said softly. "We can still catch a movie."

With a deep sigh, Juliana looked to her friend and offered an unsteady smile. "I need to do this, Hiyori," she said in hopes of convincing herself and gaining some sense of willpower. Turning her gaze back to the shop, she began to walk up the short but wide 'parking lot' to the small two story building. "We won't stay long, alright?"

Hiyori had a bad feeling swelling within her belly, and it wasn't Kensei's cooking. Juliana was determined to find out more about her past as Kazumi, even if that meant breaking down Kisuke Urahara's door. Grinning, she shrugged her small shoulders as she stalked after her friend. Breaking down Kisuke's door sounded like fun. In fact, she was already rolling up her sleeves to do just that when a hand fell upon her shoulders. Lifting her eyes, she saw Juliana shaking her head - but she was grinning!

"How about we knock?"

Hiyori made a face, huffing, then turned her chin up to the side. "Fine. Do whatever you want. But if the bastard doesn't come to the door in one minute, I'm going to break it down and smash it in his face."

"You must be so much fun at parties," chuckled Juliana as she lifted a fist to rap upon the door.

"You have no idea," Hiyori purred wickedly as she turned a devious almost hungry expression of bloodlust to her friend. "One minute."

Juliana took a deep almost nervous breath as she lifted her eyes to look about the small property. Odd that a little store like this would be stuck among houses on a backstreet. Again, she knocked upon the door. "Do you think the shop is open? Maybe he's not here."

Hiyori checked her watch and grinned as the last seconds clicked by. "Perfect," she chimed, cracking her knuckles. "My turn!"

"Hiyori!" Juliana yelped, making a grab for her as the she pulled back her fist.

The blow never touched the door. Before Juliana could reach her friend, the shoji door slid open with a delicate caress of wood. And there, standing before her, was the one the two had come to visit. Hidden eyes beneath a green and white striped hat shifted against the shadows of the brim from one girl to the other, and a set of devious lips coiled in to a wicked smirk.

"Well, well," Kisuke Urahara purred in amusement and curiosity. "Look what the cat dragged in. Welcome, Hiyori," he said, but then his eyes shifted to lock upon Juliana and his voice dropped as did the grin and all seriousness took over. "What an expected surprise to see you here, Kazumi."

Hiyori's eyes went wide as she looked from Kisuke to Juliana. What she saw reflected within her friend's eyes frightened Hiyori. Juliana's honey eyes were wide and held a look of intense shock. Her skin had paled, and she had taken a step back. Her eyes were locked upon the man before her, and Hiyori noticed that Juliana's hands were shaking at her side.

"Hey, you alright?" she asked, moving cautiously to reach for her friend.

"Kis…uke…" Juliana whispered before her eyes rolled back into her head. Her entire body went limp.

"Hey!" Hiyori shouted before rushing to her friend, but a flash of green stopped her.

Kisuke was much quicker, darting forwards in a blink of an eye to catch the tumbling woman in his arms. He came to one knee, cradling Juliana within his arms and against his body, and he sighed heavily as he looked up to Hiyori who was glaring at him as if he were touching something so very precious to her. Shaking his head, Kisuke turned his eyes back to the fainted Juliana.

"I knew it was only time,' he said softly as he brushed back a lock of her chestnut hair, 'till she would figure it all out and come looking for me." Shifting Juliana within his arms, he rocked back to stand. He turned away from Hiyori taking one step into his shop before looking back to the glaring Visored. "Hiyori? Would you care to join us?"

Hiyori's lips curled to a snarl and her fingers tightened, balling in to fists at her sides, before she forced a lump of her pride down her throat. She hung her head and followed obediently. She knew this had been a bad idea from the start. Behind her the shoji panel slid closed. The past had come knocking, and she had just let it in.

17


	10. The Truth

Honey Eyes A Bleach Fanfiction S. Lazic

The Truth

_**K**__azumi Hirowari-Hakagoji walked away from Squad One then through the streets and fields surrounding the Seireitei, wasting time while on her way to deliver some reports to the Captain of Squad Nine, Kensei Muguruma. _

_Walking into Squad Nine really did not sit well within her stomach considering Kensei Muguruma was one person who enjoyed annoying her to the point that the want to strangle the man was all she could think about. Not only was he an imposing man, powerful and intimidating, he also knew and acted that he was. Whenever she was around the silver haired man, he tried his best to make her blanch. In fact, it seemed to be a game on his part, spooking her. Oddly, his game had become a daily tradition that Kazumi was bent upon winning sooner or later. He may be a brute but she was a thinker, and out thinking that man was simple - at least off the battle field. He may try to spook her with his untamed behavior but it was Kazumi who would leave the Captain stumped on one cognitive puzzle or another, often times leaving him in a rage and Shinji laughing. Even though the game was entertaining dealing with his ego was not. But duty was duty, and the papers had to be delivered._

_As she walked across one of the many gardens of the Seireitei, Kazumi's mind drifted back to the conversation she had with Shinji the other day. She had wanted to tell him something of great importance, yet Sōsuke Aizen interrupted them with a call from the Head-Captain. She was still disappointed in the fact that Shinji had to leave for a sudden meeting without finding out what she needed to tell him. What she had to tell him was vital to their relationship - life changing. _

_Sighing, Kazumi stopped beneath a cherry tree, lifting her eyes to the last of the blossoms peeking out between budding green leaves, beautiful but simple at the same time. She touched a hand to her flat stomach. Eight months. Captain Unohana had confirmed the pregnancy only a few weeks ago when Kazumi had fallen ill one morning. She had been ill for long enough that Shinji insisted she see the Captain of Squad Four. Going to see Captain Unohana had been frightening, and Kazumi had worried that hers and Shinji's secret would escape the privacy of her visit, so she insisted to Captain Unohana to keep the news quiet for now so that Kazumi could surprise the father privately. There had been a skeptical look that passed through Captain Unohana's gentle eyes, a look of understanding as to who the 'father' was, yet she agreed with a simple nod. Eight months to go. That would put her child born sometime in January._

_What would Shinji say? _

_For the last few weeks, Kazumi had pondered exactly how Shinji would react to the news. Would he be happy and excited or would he be upset with her? Then again, why would he be upset with her? It was not as if she had gotten pregnant on her own and he was just there watching from the side lines. _

"_What am I going to do?" she quietly asked herself as she closed her eyes and leaned back to the tree behind her. _

"_You can put those papers down and kiss your man hello. Don't leave me hanging here!"_

_Her eyes flew opened as she released a scream of surprise! Papers went everywhere as she fell to the ground upon her rump. "Shinji!" she yelped, staring at the upside down and sarcastic, toothy grin of her lover._

_Shinji Hirako, suspended upside down in mid-air, grinned widely to his lover. Though he knew better, he could not help but surprising her whenever the opportunity came about. With long strands of his golden-blond hair falling towards the ground, Shinji took a few steps on thin air till he was face to face with her. 'Sky-Walking' was a trademark talent of his, and one he was proud of._

_He smirked while tipping his head. "You know you're upside down, right?"_

_Kazumi curled her fingers in the grass as she growled angrily to him; her cheeks were flushed and her eyes were narrowed. "Must you do that?"_

_Shinji blinked his eyes to her, and a devious grin laced his lips as they drew wide. He playfully poked a finger to her nose. "You're adorable when you're mad at me." _

_Kazumi snapped her teeth at his finger. _

_With a yelp, Shinji yanked back his finger just in time to stare at her with wide eyes. "What'd I do?"_

"_You always think it's so amusing to appear out of nowhere, mostly upside down, just to spook me. You already enjoy doing that to Sōsuke, must you do it to me?" She muttered her question as she began to brush off the sleeves of her Shihakusho. Her eyes blinked when she felt fingers grip her chin gently, lifting her gaze._

"_I've been following you for a little while, Kazumi,' he said in quiet thought, skimming his spindly fingertips along her chin, 'and all I saw was you walking with your head in your thoughts and your eyes on the ground. You looked troubled, so I thought I'd cheer you up."_

_The irritation of being spooked melted from her as her lover caressed her skin. He could be annoying and childish at times then caring and deeply worried the next. He was an enigma, a quagmire of personalities. In the end, however, he was Shinji Hirako. And she loved him. Smiling softly, she tipped her head just in time to touch a kiss to his passing fingertips before shifting to her knees so she could gather the distorted papers. Before her, Shinji disappeared in Shunpo only to appear at her side, kneeling and gathering the papers as well._

"_What were you thinking?" he asked softly, all play from his voice gone._

"_Remember the other day,' she began to say as she tucked back a long lock of her hair behind an ear, 'when I said I had something very important to tell you?"_

_Shinji's eyes shifted to the side as he began to sort through the boring crap he had suffered during the meeting till he was pondering back upon to the other day. Oh, yeah! They had been talking in his office. Kazumi was on his lap, he was working his charm on her while she was trying to tell him something, then he was trying to kiss her while she was trying to tell him something, but then Sōsuke arrived to ruin their much needed personal time. _

_With a sigh, he sat back and turned his head so he could look to her with a slender brow raised. "Yeah, I remember. What was it you wanted to tell me?"_

_There came those drunk butterflies again, flopping about within her stomach. Sighing, Kazumi rocked back to stand then stepped away from him to lean back against the tree. She slid her hands between her back and the sharp bark of the tree. Shinji was looking at her with a confused and uncertain expression upon his features. Did he know? _

"_What's wrong?" he inquired gently as he set the papers he had gathered to the side then stood so he could step to her. A frown pulled upon Shinji's handsome face as he felt the weight of her thoughts pressing down upon her as if her thoughts were as heavy as her Spiritual Pressure. Not to mention that there was sadness in her eyes that he suddenly realized he had seen often when they were able to see each other. She was worried, and it showed._

_Licking her lips, Kazumi ducked her eyes and turned her head to the side. Shaking his head, Shinji set a palm to her turned cheek, guiding her eyes back to him. "What have I told you about looking away from me? You don't ever need to be afraid to speak your mind with around me," he muttered, annoyed to the fact that she still wouldn't look to him. _

"_Come on,' he grumbled, 'we've been together for a while now. You shouldn't be doing that anymore."_

_Kazumi lifted her beautiful honey touched eyes to his. She smiled softly. "I'm sorry, Shinji," she said sensitively, letting her gaze wonder his handsome features. Drawing a hand from behind her, she lifted fingers to comb through his long hair. "It's just, I'm not sure how to tell you this. The news I have to tell you is not easy for me to say. It's difficult."_

_One eye narrowed while the other went wide as Shinji's mind overreacted and began to contemplate everything that she could say that would be negative. Was she seeing somebody else? Shinji's lips went tight as his eyes locked to her. "I see,' he began to mutter harshly, 'nice way to tell me. I thought we trusted each other, Kazumi." _

_A deep expression of confusion crossed Kazumi's features. "What are you talking about? Of course we can trust each other."_

_Shinji growled. There was one thing he couldn't stand, besides Sōsuke, and that was betrayal. And the worst kind of betrayal was the betrayal of the heart. "Obviously not, if you've been keeping secrets from me." _

"_I had my reasons!"_

"_Trust is easily broken, huh?" His lips curled back to release a low snarl. "I should've known. You played a good game, Hirowari-Hakagoji,' he muttered, fighting back the sudden urge to wrap his fingers about her throat, 'but the game stops here and now. Who is he?"_

_The snarl from her lover decorated Kazumi's skin with little prickles and her heart to skip a few beats. There was a look in his eyes, dangerous and deadly, that she had never seen before. It was the intensity that frightened her; Kazumi pushed herself against the cherry tree. "I don't understand," she said, gulping as Shinji brought his face closer to hers. "I thought you wouldn't be mad at me."_

"_Come on,' he teased with a wicked purr, 'I won't hurt the guy too much. There may be something left for you to play with after, if you don't mind a bloody corpse."_

"_What are you talking about?" she whimpered. _

_Before Shinji could analyze his pained emotions, he was lifting a hand, reaching for her throat._

_Kazumi flinched as she sucked in a breath upon seeing his eyes go distant as if his action was coming from deep within his soul, a dark part of his soul that he kept hidden. Gently - slowly, she took his hand only to hear the most painful growl slip from his throat. What was wrong with him? _

"_Shinji." She spoke his name softly, taking his hand to press his palm over her stomach, "You idiot. I'm…pregnant."_

_What did she just say? Shinji's pale brown eyes went wide as his hand was pressed against her stomach. He froze as he stared into her eyes while thinking how fast his anger had swept through him, taking control of him. Their eyes locked, and without looking down, he spread his lean fingers over her flat belly. There was silence between them as he ordered his mind to return to reality and process what she had just told him. Pregnant. Shinji took a deep breath as every emotion one could experience upon hearing such news came trickling into him: fear, sadness, hope, joy, anxiety, pain, anticipation, hesitation, delight and pleasure._

_She was pregnant. _

"_Kazumi," his unsteady voice whispered. Then it struck him. He was a complete and utter bastard for everything he just said! And to think he was about to hurt her because of his quick stupidity. He groaned, bowing his head. "I'm so sorry for what I just said. I don't know what came over me."_

"_You thought I have been seeing somebody else?" She frowned seeing him bow his head. His hand was shaking against her belly. "Shinji,' she said softly, moving both her hands to cup his face and lift his gaze up to her, 'you idiot. Has Hiyori knocked the common sense from your head?" _

"_Not yet." His eyes moved back down to where his hand was resting upon her stomach. Something inside of him, intense and protective, coiled tightly within his soul. "A baby," he chuckled breathily, then he raised his eyes back to her. "You sure it's mine?"_

_*smack*_

_Shinji's lips parted in a silent 'ow' before he chuckled._

"_Of course the child is yours. Don't be…" _

"_An idiot?" he asked with a devious grin pulling his lips. "Why didn't you tell me sooner?"_

"_I have been trying to tell you for a while now but every time I managed to get the strength to do so you were dragged away on business"_

"_When did you find out?" _

_Sighing, her shoulders slumped and her eyes turned away from him. "A few weeks ago."_

"_It was morning sickness, wasn't it?" he asked as he closed his eyes, pressing his fingertips to her stomach as if searching for any sensation of life. No, it was probably too early to feel any Spiritual Presence from a developing fetus at such an early stage. _

"_Yes. Captain Unohana is the only other person who knows, Shinji. I begged her not to put my condition in her report. You know that all pregnancies are to be reported to the Head-Captain for safety purposes. She would have needed your name to list on her report, but I convinced her to hold off till I told you first. I couldn't allow a controversy to develop."_

"_Controversy? What are you talking about?"_

"_Oh, you know." Kazumi groaned, rolling her eyes then said, "It would be a horrible scandal if my Captain found out about us. He wouldn't be too happy. An affair between a Captain and a lower rank Soul Reaper isn't encouraged, especially when such an affair produced evidence of the affair in the form of a child. I would not want to cause you the loss of your rank as Captain, or your respect for that fact."_

"_Shut up," groaned Shinji, his eyes turning dark. His voice was harsh enough that he drew Kazumi's attention. "I don't want to hear that. That's Seireitei bull shit. There's no rule in the books that says a Captain can't fall in love with somebody of lower rank."_

"_But it's frowned upon."_

"_So what?" He grumbled as he brushed her lips with his fingertips. "We love each other, Kazumi, and that should be good enough for those stuck up, loveless bastards rotting away down in Central Forty-Six." When she whimpered and looked away, he sighed and leaned to kiss to her cheek. "There's no shame in the love we have for each other. Let old Captain Yamamoto tell me that my child is a product of controversy. I'll prove him wrong and do so with my Zanpakutou." _

_His child. Kazumi's heart swelled as he spoke so heatedly, so passionately and so possessively, over their baby. Her eyes drifted closed as she took a steady breath. Then there was a sniffle followed by tears slipping down her cheeks. When she opened her eyes, the honey color had darkened by the wetness of her tears. "Are you alright with this, Shinji?"_

_Tears? Why was she crying? His fingers shifted along her cheeks, gathering the wetness of her tears. For a moment, he was silent as he looked to his damp fingertips then closed his eyes as he took in the feeling of her stomach beneath his other hand. _

"_I'm going to be a father," he whispered out loud and at the same time answering her question. Then his eyes opened and he gave his lover, the mother of his child, the goofiest grin he could muster. "I'm going to be a dad."_

_Kazumi nodded an uneasy nod, but a nod none the least. She covered his hand upon her belly with one of hers and nuzzled his hand that remained upon her cheek. "Yes, you're going to be a daddy." _

_Shinji smirked then brought her lips to his. He kissed her beneath the cherry tree with a kiss that was heated and passionate, and he felt her tremble against him. With a groan, he let the kiss soften before drawing his lips away. He asked cautiously, "What about you? How do you feel about this little bundle of joy?" _

"_Scared, very scared," replied Kazumi softly as she gripped his hand upon her stomach. "You won't leave me - us - will you, Shinji?"_

_Shinji furrowed his brows and snorted, "And you call me an idiot. Are you kidding? You're not leaving my side. First thing tomorrow, I'm putting a direct order to Head-Captain Kiss-my-ass to have you transferred to my Squad. I'm not going to be more than a foot away from you till this child is born."_

_Kazumi paled and whimpered, "He'll want to know why. It's very rare that such a request is proposed." _

"_I won't have to tell that old bastard anything. He'll figure it out after I tell Captain Unohana to put my name on the dotted line as sperm donor." He chuckled when he saw a blush spread upon Kazumi's cheeks. "Besides, if that old man can't tell a pregnant woman from a cow, I'm reporting him to Central Forty-Six for being senile." _

_Kazumi groaned pitifully. "You're going to get yourself demoted."_

"_Whatever. I'll tell him what he needs to know and nothing else. You won't have to worry. I'll handle everything. You just concentrate on taking care of both of you." Shinji kissed his lover again, whispering softly against her lips, "I won't let anything happen to either of you. I swear on my life." _

_Mewing, Kazumi returned his kiss and shivered to his declaration. She knew he would keep his word and not let anything happen to either her or their child. "In a few months,' she began to say as their lips parted, 'Captain Unohana will request that I have my duties reduced. She will assign me to desk duty before going on maternity leave. Once she signs the paperwork, there's no stopping my Captain from finding out about us."_

"_And that's why I want you transferred to my Squad, so I can keep an eye on you and your health. I'll make sure you're not doing too much. The Head-Captain shouldn't have too much of a problem with this."_

"_I hope not."_

"_Don't worry. __I'll go with you to see Captain Unohana," said Shinji as he brushed his fingers through her hair, loving how the sun reflected upon the red highlights. "You're not going to do this alone."_

_Kazumi smiled and nodded. "Thank you. I'll contact her and set up an appointment tomorrow."_

_A grin spread Shinji's lips as his eyes turned wicked and devious. "Who are we going to tell first? You know me, I can't keep my big mouth shut for too long."_

"_Only those we can trust to keep their mouths shut better than we can trust your big mouth." Kazumi smirked, finally moving from him so she could gather the papers she was supposed to be delivering to the Kensei._

"_Well, there goes both Sōsuke and Hiyori and the green-haired demon that follows Kensei around." _

"_Oh, come on." Kazumi chuckled, looking back to him as she stood. "If I don't tell Hiyori, she will hunt you down and hurt you."_

"_Me?" Shinji barked, pointing a finger to his chest. "What did I do?"_

_Kazumi didn't have to say anything but point one finger to her stomach._

"_Tch." Shinji shrugged his shoulders, turning from her. "Not my fault." He smirked to himself as he started to walk away knowing she was already heading to Squad Nine's barracks, might as well give Kensei a reason to destroy the entire Soul Society. Shinji was going to be a dad. It was the start of Armageddon! Oh, he was going to have fun with this one._

"_Not your fault?" Kazumi snapped, glaring at his departing backside all in play. "How is this not your fault? Remember that one night when I said 'no Shinji, this isn't a good time unless you want to hear the pitter patter of little feet'. Remember that?"_

_That stopped him. Shinji glanced back to her then raised his eyes to the sky. "I thought you were talking about puppies."_

_She huffed, holding the papers to her chest, and moved to follow after him. "Never mind. I think I'll just let Hiyori kick your ass, and I'll hold you down while she does it."_

"_Now, now, sweetheart," purred Shinji with a grin as he slipped an arm about her shoulders once she was at his side. "That's how we got this little bun-in-the-oven in the first place."_

"_This is the reason why I have not introduced you to my parents," She muttered, casting him a sarcastic smile._

"_That's alright. They wouldn't be able to handle my charming personality anyway." He nodded curtly as if agreeing with his own statement. Hearing his lover's growl, he smiled softly while giving her a squeeze against his body. "I have an idea. Since you're heading to the Squad Nine anyway, let's give Kensei a heart-attack. It'll be fun!"_

_Kazumi groaned, slapping a hand to her face. "Shinji…"_

"_I know. I'm an idiot."_

_Kazumi smiled to him and said softly, "Yes, but I love you anyway." _

**W**hat happened?

Juliana's eyes drifted open, hazed and confused, to look about a room of simple decoration, a washitsu. Pain burned at the back of her skull, nipping and clawing at the top of her spine. With a hiss, she squinted her honey touched eyes in hopes of keeping her simmering headache under control. What happened to her? Her memory was foggy at best, but she remembered Hiyori and an odd man, who had answered the door. She had taken one look in his eyes before feeling her mind being swept up within a cloud of darkness. Dizziness. Juliana remembered intense dizziness before her head spun and her body went week. Had she fainted? Did she fall and strike her head, is that why her head hurt? It seemed that fainting was becoming a weekly activity for her.

Kisuke.

Despite the pain, Juliana's eyes went wide as that name broke through her mind. "Kisuke," she whispered as realization struck her. Yes! That's the name she had said right before everything went black.

Sighing, she ran a trembling hand over her face and licked her dry lips. How long had she been unconscious? Minutes? Hours? What time was it? The moment she turned her head to look for a clock, pain struck her. She winced and a closed lipped whimper pushed past her lips as she grasped the side of her head. Her features twisted as deep, gulping breaths tore through her body pushing her lungs to expand. Her head was throbbing, spasming within her skull, and ached to the very core.

"What are you going to tell her?"

Voices. Juliana forced her eyes open and her head to roll to the side when she heard a quiet voice from outside the room and saw through her wonky vision two shadows standing outside the panel doors. One was short with pigtails, Hiyori, while the other was tall and wearing a hat, Kisuke.

"That depends on how much she remembers."

"I should call Shinji. He needs to be here."

Kisuke shook his head as he stepped towards the panels. "No. I would prefer to leave him out of this till I figure out what is going on. It's for the best."

Then one of the panels was slipping open, the soft sound of wood gliding against wood ground within Juliana's pulsating brain. She tried to sit up when Kisuke entered but her body collapsed before her limbs could stabilize her. A blur moved, and within a second Kisuke was next to her, gathering her into his strong yet gentle arms. She felt herself being pressed to a hard chest where beneath a panicked heart thumped wildly.

"Juliana! What's wrong with her?"

"I don't know. Go get Tessai, now!"

Juliana's pain filled eyes drew open letting her look upon the concerned features of Kisuke Urahara. Their eyes locked for just a few seconds before she winced, ducked her head, and buried her contorted face against his green Shihakusho. His arms about her tightened followed by a whisper of soothing words. "Hold on Kazumi. Just hold on…"

Then darkness enfolded her within its wings, sweet - blessed darkness.

Time passed, minutes slowly turned in to hours when Juliana was finally able to open her eyes. She felt exhausted, so much so that she could hardly move her head. She remembered this room, it was the same room she had woken up in earlier, but there was a difference this time. There was no pain. In fact, her headache was gone. She must have passed out again, probably from the intense pain that had raged through her. So how many hours had passed this time? With no window in the room it was hard to tell if it was day or night outside, and there was no clock either. This time when she made a move to sit up all she felt was exhausted muscles being forced to work.

"Where am I?" she asked groggily to the empty room.

Well, she couldn't sit around and wait for somebody to come in and answer her questions. Sitting up came with a price, a little touch of vertigo but she swept that away with a shake of her head and a gritting of her teeth. With some work, she was able to stand up on her shaky legs. Carefully, Juliana forced her bare feet to move, and once she had her footing she slowly shuffled her way to the panel door that she inched open.

From what she could tell, there was no one in the hallway, and it appeared that nobody was around at all. There were no voices or sounds of movement, nothing. Slipping out of the room, she wandered the hallway till she was able to hear the faint sound of voices, two males and one female. She recognized Hiyori's voice, and the girl was mad. Correction, enraged. All Juliana had to do was follow her friend's angered voice, tiptoeing on unsteady toes till she came to the panel door of another room; the voices were coming from within.

"You shouldn't have brought her here, Hiyori," she heard Kisuke state in a tone of grave disappointment.

"What was I supposed to do, Kisuke?" snapped Hiyori. "She asked me to bring her here. She wants to find out why she's been having dreams about her past life!"

"Dreams are just dreams, nothing else," said another male with a deeper and more condescending voice.

"What do you know about it?" snapped Hiyori with a nasty hiss to her voice. "It's not like either of you care about her!"

"That's not the point," Kisuke said as his voice softened to sigh. "Bringing her here will destroy her."

"How will it destroy her? You don't even know her!"

"On the contrary. I know Miss. Juliana Stanford very well, and have for a long time."

That's when the shoji panel drew open. Juliana had heard enough. One thing she did not appreciate were people talking about her behind her back. All conversation stopped and all eyes looked right to her, and she glared right back. There was Hiyori, looking as if she was either about to wreak havoc on the table or burst into tears. Then there were the two men - one, unknown to her, wearing dark sunglasses with his hair parted into rows and tightly braided, and then there was Kisuke.

"Kisuke," she growled, stepping into the room.

Hiyori frowned and sat back upon her zabuton. "I'm so sorry. I didn't mean for any of this to happen."

Lifting a hand, Juliana stopped her friend from speaking, though her eyes never left Kisuke. "You and I need to have a chat," she told him as she crossed her arms to her chest.

Silence.

It wasn't as if Kisuke was unsettled by her sudden presence, not at all. He just didn't know how to explain to her what she no doubt wanted to know. Where to begin? And how much did she already know? He had to be careful. This wasn't a game, a twisted form of Tetris of the mind where bits and pieces of her memory and of her life had to be delicately fitted together.

With a deep breath, he nodded his head and motioned to an empty mat then tucked his arms into the deep sleeves of his green coat. "Have a seat. Ask me anything that is on your mind."

Juliana turned her eyes to the man with the glasses, staring him squarely to his covered eyes.

"I'll go make some tea," he said to nobody then stood and left the room, closing the panel door behind him.

Hiyori flinched when Juliana's eyes came to her, but only for a moment before she scowled, crossed her arms, then planted her ass firmly to the mat. "I'm not leaving, and you can't make me."

Juliana smiled softly as she crossed the small round table then carefully and slowly sat to a mat. "I wouldn't ask you to leave, Hiyori. You being here is important to me. Besides, you need to keep me from kicking this man's ass."

"Do I have to?" grumbled Hiyori. "I can't promise on holding you back."

Juliana turned to Kisuke and said, "Well? Go ahead. There's something about me that is weighing heavily upon your soul."

"You have no idea," sighed Kisuke Urahara.

"You're right. I have no idea," Juliana muttered and with a frown as she saw the man's shoulders slump. "But I'm here now, so why don't you get everything off your chest and be honest with me as to what is going on with my dreams."

"I wish it were that easy," said Kisuke, finally lifting his eyes. The last time he had seen her was twelve years ago. She hadn't changed, not one bit. "I warn you. If I tell you what I know, your very life, your very existence, is going to change. I'm not sure you're ready for the truth, not just yet. Besides, there are others that need to be considered along with this decision, not just you."

"It's not up to you or any other to decide what I can and cannot handle," she muttered then looked to Hiyori. "I already know about them and about Shinji. I already know who I once was and what I meant to all of them. I have been having more and more past life dreams. The medication I'm supposed to be taking to control my nightmares is not helping any more. I need answers, and I know you have them."

When he turned his gaze away, Juliana's anger coiled heatedly and she brought a hand to slam down to the tabletop with such strength that it splintered the wood. "Who do you think you are? You have no right to keep vital information about my life from me!" She pointed a finger towards him in an accusatory way. "I had a dream the other night where I watched Kazumi slice open her wrist and your name was spoken from the lips of somebody who scared the life out of me. You have my answers."

Kisuke felt his body tighten and, closing his eyes, sighed. That wasn't just a dream she was talking about, that was her past - not just Juliana's past but Kazumi's past. "How often are these dreams coming to you?" he asked softly.

"You had two last night," Hiyori said softly.

Juliana groaned, "Don't remind me."

"Any others?" Kisuke asked, peeking his eyes from beneath the rim of his hat.

"Yes," Juliana answered as she took a deep breath. "I have had many in my life, but always few and far between and always controlled by the pills I have been taking. Without them, the dreams are out of control. But then I met Shinji and I have had maybe one every night. I don't think the pills are working anymore. In fact, I had one a few nights ago that I am still not sure was a nightmare."

Kisuke narrowed his eyes. "Tell me of this particular dream."

Juliana shrugged while nibbling on the inside of a cheek. "It was a very bizarre incident. But a few nights ago I took my dog out for a walk, as I do almost every night, but while out this unknown guy appeared. I froze when I saw him - petrified. He called me Kazumi, and he kissed me. After that, everything went black. My father found me standing in the street in a daze. It wasn't a dream, but then it had to have been a dream."

"Why do you say that?"

"The guy I met now has a name, Sōsuke. He was the same man who has appeared in some of my past life dreams. So the incident can't be anything more than a dream if the man was from my past." Juliana shivered and breathed out heavily. "But the meeting seemed so very real. He kissed me, and since then…something's been changing."

Kisuke shifted, lowering his chin as he looked to the table top. One every night? That wasn't good. More memories meant that either the medication's strength needed to be increased or it was failing all together. "Has anything occurred that could have caused more of the dreams, perhaps an event or perhaps you met somebody new?"

"Besides meeting a guy who isn't supposed to be alive on a street and having him kiss me?"

"She said they started when she met Shinji, you idiot!" Hiyori snapped, glaring at her ex-Captain. "There's your person!"

Juliana smiled at Hiyori's little outburst.

"Shinji, huh? That could be the reason," nodded Kisuke.

Juliana turned a critical eye to Kisuke and inquired, "What are you saying? How could Shinji be the cause of the dreams? I have had these dreams since I was a child, far before I even knew him."

Slipping his hat from his head, Kisuke looked to Juliana and to her honey touched eyes. "The medication you have been taking,' he began to explain quietly, knowing that after saying this the floodgate of honesty would be opened, 'was designed to keep these so called memories or dreams, as they are passed off as being, from continuing or from getting worse. Obviously, there has been a hiccup."

"Wait, you know about her medication?" Hiyori inquired, looking from Kisuke then to Juliana then back to Kisuke.

Juliana's eyes widened then narrowed angrily, dangerously towards him. "You're speaking about my pills."

Kisuke nodded.

"Will somebody answer my question?" barked Hiyori.

Kisuke went silent and lowered his eyes once again.

So Juliana took that initiative and answered her friend. "Ever since I was a child, I have been taking medication every night to control the night-terrors that I have experienced, and still suffer from. They would often be so bad that I would be traumatized for days. Eventually, my parents put me on these pills that kept the dreams away. If I missed one night, my dreams would come back, but for the most part the nightmares and night-terrors were contained. However, there have been times when the dosage was increased whenever the dreams became so strong that they couldn't be suppressed."

"Wait,' Hiyori drew in a long gasp as she turned her eyes towards her ex-Captain, 'that sounds familiar. You bastard!" She then turned her building rage on Kisuke, leaning across the low table as if she were ready to launch herself at him with flying fists. "How could you do this to her?"

Kisuke didn't say anything. He lifted his eyes and leveled them to Hiyori, and the look he gave her silenced his ex-Lieutenant and sat her back on the mat.

Juliana, on the other hand, blinked in confusion when she witnessed Hiyori silenced. "What did you mean, Hiyori?"

The heavy silence of the room dissipated when the soft sound of the panel door opening eased the weighted emotions. Tessai passed a curious look to the three at the table, grumbling something as he stepped forwards to set a tray to the top of the table. He didn't say a word as he began to pour the tea then, in silence, departed the room once again.

When the door closed, Hiyori hissed like a snake, "You worthless piece of crap." She may have been set back by his glare but that didn't stop her from voicing her opinion. "You don't have the balls to tell her, do you? Fine,' she hissed as she turned her attention to Juliana, 'I'll tell her."

"Hiyori," snarled Kisuke in warning.

She didn't listen and went on to say, "It wasn't long after jack-ass here created the Department of Research and Development that he created a powder that, when given to a person, would wipe away an individual's memories and lock them within the person's subconscious. But it was only in the experimental stage and had not gone through the test stage that might have provide data on the practical use of it. That crap never saw the light of day."

"What happened to this powder?" asked Juliana.

"There were…complications."

Juliana's eyes narrowed. "Complications?"

Hiyori growled and slid her narrowed eyes to Kisuke. "The stuff seemed to work for a while, but then a trigger object or a trigger word would bring the memories back in the forms of horrific nightmares. Sometimes the memories were changed, twisted by the subconscious, and sometimes these changes would drive the subject to insanity causing the person to act out in violence as if they were living their night-terrors during their sleep."

Juliana felt her entire body go cold, and her eyes shifted to Kisuke, who was staring at the table top.

"Why, Kisuke?" Hiyori asked, her voice having gone soft yet still holding an underlined tone of disbelief. "Why did you give that stuff to her when you knew what could happen?"

"It was the only choice I had given the events that were occurring at that time, Hiyori." Kisuke sighed and closed his eyes. He took a breath and then another in order to calm himself. He then opened his troubled eyes to look towards Juliana only to see pain and confusion reflected in her gaze. "You must understand that, when you were brought to me, I didn't have many choices on how to handle your condition."

"Don't make excuses!" Hiyori snapped, pointing a finger to her friend across the table. "Kazumi died! Why torture her reborn soul?"

Juliana's eyes met Kisuke's steady gaze and saw regret flashing with in them. "Because,' she said softly, 'Kazumi never died."

Hiyori's eyes went wide.

Kisuke looked away.

And that's when Juliana knew the truth. "That's it, isn't it?" The final piece of the puzzle was put into place and the weight of the realization pressed down upon Juliana's heart.

After a few moments of silence, Hiyori spoke up. She muttered softly, "You've lost me."

"I had really hoped that this day wouldn't come," Kisuke said as he shifted in his knelt position to take up a teacup. "Not for my sake but for your sake, Juliana."

"Don't call me that." Juliana shook her head. "I want you to call me by my real name, the name I was born with and the name I had been known by."

"That's it!" snapped Hiyori. "I want to know what is going on and I want to know now!"

Kisuke remained silent as he lifted his teacup to his lips that pursed to blow at the steam teasing the surface of the hot drink. He took a slow sip as if allowing the weight of the conversation to disperse beneath the thickness that was so dense it could be cut with a Zanpakutou. After allowing a sip of the warm brew to course through his body, he set the cup down then looked to the woman across the table.

"Your name,' he explained, 'is Kazumi Hirowari-Hakagoji. You were once the 7th seat to Squad One and lover to Shinji Hirako. A little over a hundred years ago you tried to take your own life, but your attempted was thwarted and you were brought to me, bleeding and close to death."

"I did what I had to do,' he went on to say with a sharpness to his voice, 'to save your life."

Silence fell, but it was short lived as Juliana asked, "But why?"

"Because Shinji had already lost so much at the hands of Sōsuke Aizen," he answered somberly. "Shinji didn't deserve to lose the woman he loved, the woman who was carrying his child. It would have destroyed him to know you had taken not only your life but the life of the unborn child you shared with him."

Hiyori looked horrified, and the color of her skin drained from her face. No, this couldn't be possible. There was no way Juliana could really be Kazumi! "So your dreams were real. You were pregnant."

Juliana gave a somber nod. "Yes."

"They're not really dreams, per say." Kisuke whispered softly as he took another sip of his tea, "They are your resurfacing memories. Somehow, they are pushing through the memory block of the medication."

"But how can they be memories if I never knew who I was?" Juliana asked.

Kisuke shrugged. "I would have to do some research as to why the drug has failed. You're at the limit for the dosage strength. Maybe your memories are now too strong for the drug."

"But why not let me continue on living as Kazumi? Why did I become Juliana Stanford?" Juliana shook her head as she reached for her teacup. "I mean, I have spent my entire life thinking my parents are my parents, but that's impossible, isn't it? I was never born to them."

"One question at a time."

"Very well," she sighed and glanced down to the steam drifting from her cup. "What happened to me?"

"Exactly what you saw in your dreams, all of them. Your psyche broke when you found out what happened to Shinji and Hiyori, their Hollowfication transformation. I don't have much detail of the exact events that lead to your suicide, but something pushed you over the edge."

"It was Sōsuke Aizen." Juliana looked away and shivered. "After meeting him on the streets, I have been having dreams of him, but I was never able to put a name to the face. But I now know who he is. In some of my dreams, he pushed me over the emotional edge. He threatened to tell the Head-Captain of my pregnancy and my affair with Shinji. He said horrible things to me after Shinji was killed."

"Killed?" Both Kisuke and Hiyori asked the question at the same time.

Juliana nodded. "That's what Sōsuke told me. He told me that all of you were killed. He convinced me that he was my only safe option at the time, but I knew I couldn't trust him. I knew deep down in my soul that he was a very dangerous individual. I couldn't let him take my child from me and use it for his twisted needs. And he would have. Wouldn't he?" She glanced up, her eyes leveled and flat.

Kisuke gave a slow nod, and Juliana shivered again. She went on to ask. "Shinji didn't die, did he?"

"You should ask him about that."

"I plan to," she muttered then shivered in her knelt position. "So who was the man who showed up in Shinji's room a little too late? How did he know to look for me?"

"Before all of us departed the Soul Society, Shinji was able to say one word to me before he went unconscious. He said your name when I told him to find a reason why he should survive. With what limited time I had, I discovered your name and position within the ranks, so I sent an individual I trusted to see to your safety. That man is now a Captain…"

Hiyori groaned. "Mayuri Kurotsuchi."

Kisuke nodded. "I knew that it would be vital for the safety of all of us if you were taken away from the Seireitei. I couldn't let Sōsuke Aizen get his hands on you and your child to use against Shinji, if he ever discovered Shinji's survival. I ordered you to be delivered to the World of the Living as soon as possible. However, I wasn't expecting your condition to be so critical. Luckily, I had a contact in the World of the Living already, and his skills in the medical field aided in your recovery."

"What happened to my baby?"

"The child did not survive the trauma of your blood loss. You had a miscarriage, naturally. Your condition worsened after that because of blood loss. You almost died, but you hung on and you survived. It took one full year for you to recover." Shaking his head of pale blond hair, Kisuke trailed a finger around the rim of his teacup and twisted his lips in thought.

"I don't understand,' said Juliana with a grumble, 'if all of this happen, then why hasn't Shinji or anybody else said anything about it?"

"Yeah?' barked Hiyori, 'I don't remember Kazumi coming to the World of the Living with us!"

"Because they didn't know you had followed. I couldn't take the risk of Shinji knowing of what happened to you. The danger Sōsuke put you through, your suicide attempt, and the loss of your child would have caused Shinji to have a complete psychotic break. He would have stormed the Seireitei to hunt Sōsuke down, and that would have put all of us in danger. As the Visoreds, as they began to call themselves, went through their own recovery, Shinji adapted to the idea that you were living well in the Seireitei. He understood that he would not be unable to contact you till the situation with Sōsuke Aizen was settled. However, we didn't expect the situation to escalate to the level that it has, and to last so long as well."

"I can't believe that Shinji would turn his back on me."

"He wouldn't!" Hiyori smacked a hand to the table and snarled, "And neither would I."

"Please, don't misunderstand me," said Kisuke quietly. "He didn't turn his back on you. I'm sure Hiyori can verify the fact that Shinji never fell out of love with you. I've never known him to look at another woman or take another woman as his lover, even if he does play the charmer for his own amusement."

Juliana looked to Hiyori and asked gently, "Is that true?"

Hiyori blinked her eyes and her heart fell within her chest as she gave a little nod. "Yeah, I guess."

"Shinji never forgot you," Kisuke went on to say. "Then a decade passed and news came to me that it had been announced that you had taken your life due to the shame of bearing Shinji Hirako's child, a traitor to the Soul Society. It was Sōsuke who had spread the rumor, no doubt to hide his own involvement. At first, when Shinji heard the rumor, he wasn't sure he could believe it. Eventually, however, he too thought you had taken your life."

Hiyori nodded. "Yeah, I remember that day. Shinji was never the same. It took him a good decade to become as close to normal as possible but, even then, he never was fully himself."

"This is all very confusing," muttered Juliana as she took another sip of her tea.

"My apologies, but there is no simple way to explain any of this." Kisuke sighed and flipped out his fan to tap against his cheek.

"So Shinji and the others really believed I had died, and that's why they all have thought I was the reincarnated soul of Kazumi without realizing that I am her."

Kisuke nodded.

"So why the entire creation of my fake family and my life? How can one-hundred years go past and I remain no older than twenty-one?"

"I couldn't allow you and Shinji to discover each other when he thought you dead. I knew that Sōsuke would have his associates out looking for any signs of the Visoreds here in the World of the Living, as well as you. He was never a fool. He knew you had been brought here for my care, and he would have done anything to find you. The risk was too great. So two of my associates agreed to become your parents and moved to another country where you could be hidden and protected. This allowed Shinji to go on living as he saw fit." Kisuke shook his head and folded his arms to his chest as he bowed his head. "When life began to pass by, you and your parents would move and your memory would be altered back to a stage where another history could be created."

"My mind was wiped?" Juliana threw up her arms. "Of course! That explains it all, now doesn't it? So every time my age came in to question or my history became a complication to my life, I was uprooted and tossed into another life with my memories removed or altered?" She glared to Kisuke and grumbled, "I don't think I like that."

"It was the only way to protect you."

"And what about the pills, all the treatments I went through?"

"Four decades ago your memories began to surface. I first thought that the trauma you went through had naturally created a wall to your memories, such as many trauma victims experience. But I was wrong. It was then that the decision was made to give you an altered version of the memory altering medication."

"So, for one-hundred years I have been filled with mind altering drugs and medication that controlled my brain? Damn, I'm lucky I'm not a drooling potato." Juliana hung her head and sighed.

"So how did she end up here? Why would her parents, or whoever they are, bring her to Karakura Town if Shinji and the rest of us are here? Wouldn't that pose a risk or something?"

Kisuke glanced to Hiyori and nodded at her barrage of questions. "After enough decades had passed and no threat from Aizen came, your parents and I thought it was for the best that you return here so I could keep an eye on you. I knew that the effects of the drugs would not last forever, nothing ever does."

"Then explain to me why I'm English."

"You've been American and Canadian and Irish. You've also been…"

"French," Juliana added.

Kisuke nodded then continued, "We had to keep moving you whenever I felt Aizen's associates had caught wind of you. It was the only way to throw them off your trail."

"Why haven't I aged?" she asked, glancing down to her body then back up. "The Kazumi I saw in my dreams…memories…was much older than what I look like."

"Another form of distraction to throw off Aizen's hunters. I created a special Gigai for you that would mask your Spiritual Pressure and Spiritual Presence while keeping you looking in your early Twenties. It was designed to alter your image ever so slightly. In that body,' he flicked his fan towards her, 'you would never age. That body is just a shell to harness your soul. It's much like the ones that the Visoreds use, but theirs does not prohibit their Reiatsu."

"This,' she inquired as she touched a hand to her chest, 'is just a shell? How can that be?"

"A Gigai has internal organs, blood flow, brain function, and so on because it is a living body all in itself. I designed it as a container when a Soul Reaper loses his or her body."

"So explain something to me. You and my parents know of me and what has happened. Isn't that risky?"

"Your parents are Soul Reapers, and they are acting as your parents by my command. Over the past century, they have come to see you as their daughter and not Kazumi. Neither they nor I had the opportunity to bond with you as Kazumi. They bonded with you as Juliana Stanford while I distanced myself as much as possible. Does that make sense?"

Juliana nodded. "I can't wrap my head around all that you've told me, but I think I can understand the gist of it all. And what you've told me feels…correct."

Hiyori leaned closer to her friend and asked tenderly, "Are you alright?"

Juliana, no, Kazumi Hirowari-Hakagoji smiled to her friend and took a deep breath before lifting her eyes to Kisuke. "I'm fine." She then looked to Kisuke. "There's only one thing left to do."

"What's that?" inquired Kisuke.

"I need to see Shinji. He needs to know the truth. He needs to know that I'm still alive."

21


	11. With All My Heart

Honey Eyes A Bleach Fanfiction S . Lazic

With All My Heart

**H**e needs to know the truth…

An hour later, those words still rang clear within Kazumi's mind as she sat upon the front step of the Urahara Shop. So many thoughts…so many questions…so many fears and concerns swirled within her mind. The last thing she had said were those words to both Kisuke and Hiyori, then she had silently stood and stepped from the small tea room, out through the public shop then into the afternoon sun.

After pacing for half an hour back and forth, up and down the small drive and parking area in front of the shop, she sat down heavily to the warm cement. As time continued to click on by, her attention had been solely focused on those words and partially upon the twisting of her cell phone within her fingers. She was very frightened. Never before had she been so scared, not even when Dai had forced her to watch all those horror movies the past Halloween. But this situation was creating a fear within her that no other in the world had probably experienced.

An hour ago her eyes had been opened to the reality that she was, in fact, Kazumi and that she had never really died. She had indeed been pregnant with Shinji Hirako's child and had lost that child when she attempted, through shameful desperation, to take her life. She had lived the past one-hundred years in a fog, a created lie that the life she had been living was nothing but a fraud. The life she had grown to love was nothing more than smoke and mirrors created by one who had only the best intentions on keeping her safe. Mental rape - that's what Hiyori had called it, and, in truth, that is what Kisuke and the two people she had thought were her parents had done to her.

Her heart ached - physically hurt. She knew there was more to this story than Kisuke was telling her as he hinted that Shinji would have answers to her more intimate questions.

Kazumi had the sensation that Shinji had done something to protect her, and divulging the fact that she now knew all that had been done to her would be putting him in danger and quite possible destroy everything he had worked so hard to keep safe. A shiver crawled up her spine upon knowing that Sōsuke was alive and not a figment of her dreams as she wished him to remain. He was still out there - waiting for her - searching for her. Then again, she now knew that meeting him on the street had not been a part of a dream. He had been real, and that kiss had been the catalyst key that induced the events of the past few days.

If Sōsuke discovered that she was alive, in some way or another, what would he do? Was she putting everyone in danger? What of her parents who had raised her, protected her, and given her a full life for the past one-hundred years? What could happen to them if they were exposed? She also had to consider Dai, the Visoreds, and now Shinji. A soft cry broke her lips. Having her memories and her previous life back would put every one she had grown to love in her whole life in harm's way.

Before she realized what she was doing, Kazumi was pacing once again. When she caught herself, she returned to the front step of the building and sat, pulling her legs to her chest and locking her eyes to her phone. She had yet to dial Shinji's number. Though she knew she had to, she just couldn't bring her fingers to push the buttons. Tears were dripping down her cheeks by the time she buried her face to her knees, and soon she was quietly crying. Waves of her chestnut hair fell before her view, providing her a safe and familiar curtain from the world around her.

"I should go talk to her…" Hiyori murmured from where she and Kisuke stood watching Kazumi sobbing upon the store step.

Kisuke lowered his head to where eyes looked out from beneath the rim of his pinstriped green and white hat. "No," he said softly, setting a strong hand upon the shorter woman's shoulder. "I'll speak to her."

"Why you?" Hiyori snapped with a dangerous glare. "You did this to her."

"I've done a lot of things, Hiyori,' Kisuke said quietly and in a tone that did not condone nor commend his previous actions, 'some of them I am not proud of, but every one of them was done for a very important reason, to protect life."

With that being said, he started walking away with the soft clicking of his geta sandals echoing the small room. With a heavy sigh, he moved into the afternoon sun and, with a few steps, came to sit next to Kazumi. Her sobbing tore through him, wrenching his heart till he felt a stab of pain within his chest.

"He's going to understand, Kazumi," he said softly, meaning the phone call she was putting off to Shinji. "He's one of the most reasonable and understanding men I have ever known."

"You don't know that." She sniffled and shifted her head to set her chin to her knees. She dragged a palm against her cheeks to sweep away tear stains. "This is a situation I doubt Shinji has come up against before."

"You're right,' Kisuke said softly while turning his shadowed eyes towards her, 'but I also know him very well. You mean more to that man than his very life. Deep in your heart you know what to say to him, and you know that he will do nothing but embrace you and accept everything that you tell him. You don't need to fear his reaction."

Her eyes tightened shut as a whimper of agonizing suffering trickled past her lips. Every muscle in her body tightened and shook with each sob that ravaged her. She wrapped her arms about her legs as she buried her wet features against her denim covered knees.

Kisuke frowned upon seeing her pain - such torment and suffering. He had done everything in his powers to keep her safe so she and Shinji could be reunited once Sōsuke had finally been taken care of. But her reaction, as justified as it was, was almost too painful for even him to watch. With a sigh, he slipped an arm about her shoulders only to have her fall against him, convulsing with tears and cries. He could feel her trembling violently as he held her tightly to him.

"No one will abandon you, Kazumi. You were Shinji's lover, his everything, and the mother to his child. You were a friend to all of the Visoreds, and you were a sister figure to Hiyori. You will now be able to reclaim your connection to all of them. You and Shinji can have a second chance together."

"It hurts so much," she sobbed, burying her wet face against his shoulder.

Sighing, Kisuke wrapped his other arm about her, shifting his body till he had her held protectively against him. "I can't begin to understand what you're feeling," he whispered softly while allowing her tears to soak through his clothing. "However, I will admit whole heartedly that I am responsible for most of what you're feeling. If you need to blame some body then blame me."

Sniffling, her honey touched eyes, laced with tears, raised to look to Kisuke's down turned and tormented features. "I can't blame you," she said softly while drawing back till she was smiling ever so tenderly. "As you said, you did what you had to do to keep me safe. I can only thank you."

Kisuke tried to force a smile to his lips yet only a frown would form. Closing his eyes, he shook his head. "It doesn't matter. As an outcome to my actions, you're hurting."

Shrugging her shoulders, Kazumi shifted further away to dry her tears with the back of her hand. "I think I'm just scared of what happens after this. I'm afraid that if Sōsuke knows that I'm here that he'll come for me and, in the process, harm everyone I love."

"If Sōsuke does know you are alive, I'll bet my soul that none of us will allow him to take you. He may be strong but against the Visoreds, myself, and any other who decides to step in on your behalf, we'll handle him."

"I feel overwhelmed."

"Call Shinji, talk to him. The faster you do that the sooner this weight will be off your shoulders and the sooner you two can get back to being the family you were so close to being."

"I hate the unknown." Shaking her head, Kazumi slid her fingers into her hair as if raking her brain for thoughts. "What if I just kept this to myself and made Hiyori swear not to tell a soul? That way, Shinji can fight Aizen without having to worry about me."

"There's no way you can keep this from Shinji. Eventually, he'll find out. If you stop taking the medication, you will recover your Spiritual Pressure. When that happens, there will be no way you can hide yourself." Kisuke turned his attention out to the drive. "Shinji's a smart man even though he pretends not to be. Eventually, you will become Kazumi in full once again. He'll know something has changed with just one look to you. He'll pick up on little details and then question you." With a shake of his head, Kisuke stood. "Take your time. You can stay here as long as you wish."

Kazumi's honey toned eyes lifted to watch him walk back into his shop and slide the shoji panel closed behind him. She was alone again, yet at the same time she was not alone. Knowing she was surrounded by such supportive and powerful souls, ones who would protect her and help fill in the hole that had been deepening within her heart, humbled her. Kisuke was right; she had to tell Shinji as soon as possible. Waiting would only fuel her panic and leave her falling into a pit of fear. With a very deep breath, her cell phone was flipped open and she dialed Shinji's number.

…one ring…

…one heart beat…

…two rings…

…two heart beats…

…three rings…

"_Hey, babe."_

Shinji's smooth voice drove a stab of sadness through her the moment she heard him. She closed her eyes and forced a little sob down her throat.

"_You there?"_

Her lips felt so dry, and her tears began to trickle down her cheeks to drip to the dusty pavement at her feet. "I'm…here," she whispered quietly.

"_Something wrong? You're really quiet."_

Kazumi sighed, and she threaded her fingers into her hair as she propped her elbow to her knees. "When will you be back from training? There's something I really need to speak to you about."

"_Well,'_ Shinji's voice paused as if to contemplate his answer then he continued on, _'as soon as Kensei picks his face off the floor and Ichigo stops prancing around like some virgin about to get laid we'll be on our way back. What's up?"_

"I…,' she paused and released a held breath, 'I just really need to speak to you."

"_Tell me what's wrong."_

Shaking her head, Kazumi dug her nails into her scalp to try and stop the loud sob that threatened to spill from her. "Not over the phone. Just please, hurry back. I really need you…"

"_You're scaring me, Juli. What has happened? Is Hiyori threatening police dogs again?"_

She could hear panic starting to fill his typically calm voice. "No. Hiyori's behaving."

"_Look,'_ he said, _'I won't be long. Why don't I meet you downtown? Are you two finished with your movie?"_

Kazumi nipped her lower lip. "We are not at the movies, Shinji. We're some other place."

"_Alright. Where are you? I'll meet you so we can talk."_

"I don't know the exact address of our location, but I'm sure you know the place, the Urahara shop." There was silence so heavy on the other end of the phone that Kazumi could feel the pressure seeping out to her. "Shinji?" she inquired when the silence remained for too long.

"_Yeah, I know the place."_

She heard the bite to his voice, and the angered tone had her shivering with instant unease that her choice to call him had been the wrong choice.

On the other end of the call, Shinji was heard sighing. When he spoke next, the angered tone to his voice had softened - to a degree. _"I won't step foot in that store. If you want to talk, we will talk where there are no prying ears or eyes."_

"Then, where can we meet?"

"_There's a canal south of the shop, about a twenty minute walk. If you start heading in that direction now, I'll be there waiting for you. It is quite. We won't be disturbed."_

Kazumi sighed softly and nodded in agreement. "I think I know where that canal is."

"_Good. I'll be there."_

The phone went quiet; Shinji had closed the call.

Kazumi didn't know how interpret the tone to his voice. However, there was no going back now. If everything worked out, if Shinji understood and accepted her into his life and if Sōsuke was eventually defeated, would they have the life they had always wanted? Pushing up to stand, Kazumi dusted her hands down her rump then took a deep breath.

As Kazumi headed south towards the canal, all of her thoughts on her memories came to stroke her mind. Her hands slipped against her stomach as her lips touched into a smile. She remembered her last 'dream' and the look of shocked pride that she had seen upon Shinji's face when she told him about their child. Would he want to try for another, if, that is, their life progressed down the same path together? Excitement fluttered within her belly at the idea of being connected to him once again.

**T**here was something that Shinji heard within Juliana's voice that unsettled him. The moment he hung up with her, he bid Ichigo and Rose a farewell, telling them to give Kensei some aspirin then send him to bed once he came back to consciousness. Instead of using Shunpo, his preferred method of travel, Shinji chose to walk to the canal. He needed the extra time to ponder what Juliana was doing at Kisuke's shop. How did she even know of him? Would Hiyori have taken her there, and if so, why? Juliana had no reason to be at that man's shop, and Shinji wanted to know what Kisuke and Juliana spoke about. Has Kisuke said something to her that had caused her distress? Is that what she wanted to talk to him about? If Kisuke had said something to upset her or confuse her, Shinji was going to shove that man's hat down his throat.

So what was going on?

When he came to the canal, ahead of schedule, he casually leaned against a light-post, twisting a blade of grass he had plucked between his fingers. His mind pondered every question and possible answer as he stared off at the water that glistened beneath the sun's rays. Juliana had been crying on the phone. He could tell from the delicate hitches of her breaths and the trembling of her words when she had spoken to him. Lifting his eyes, out of a random move, Shinji saw her standing at the top of the steps that were a few feet from him, looking to him and unmoving. Now he knew something was wrong by the way she stared vacantly to him.

Sighing, he tossed away the blade of grass then pushed from the lamp before crossing the sidewalk in her direction. He was expecting her to casually walk down to him, offer him a smile, and an insecure hug; instead, she broke in to a run and raced down the steps.

Shinji nearly stumbled when her body collided with his. Her arms flew about his shoulders with her fingers threading into his blond hair, and her mouth captured his in a surprising and breath taking kiss as she pressed herself against him. Shinji looped his arms about her waist, pulling her flush against him as a groan slid past his lips. The kiss sent a full formed tremble through him as her mouth slanted against his with her supple and soft lips parting to allow the tip of her moist tongue to trail along the parting of his mouth. With his eyes tightening shut, Shinji gave in to this welcomed greeting.

The moment his lips parted, he felt her moist tongue seek out his, caressing and teasing his strong mouth as the kiss deepened. His deadly fingers spread along the curve of her back thus causing her body to arch as closely as possible to him. They had only been apart for half a day, yet she attacked him sensually as if they had been separated by a lifetime.

When Shinji finally remembered the needed to breathe, he gently broke the kiss by drawing his lips away then touching a kiss to the corner of her flushed and heated lips. "Well,' he whispered, letting his slender eyes look upon Juliana's beautiful features, 'now that's a hello." His chuckle was cut short when his thumbs skimmed along her wet cheeks, and he frowned to the realization she was still crying. "Why are you crying?" he asked tenderly.

With an uneasy chuckle and a sniffle, Juliana smiled a nervous smile to him. "I don't know where to begin. Like I said on the phone, I have something I need to speak to you about," she replied.

"Is this bad or good news?"

"Both, I suppose." She lifted her tear lined eyes to look to his. "First off, promise me that you won't hate me."

A look of confusion crossed Shinji's face. "Now you're really spooking me." He slipped an arm about her shoulders, drawing her against him, then whispered quietly to her. "Come on. Let's take a walk, and you can tell me everything that's happened. I promise you that there is nothing you can say that would make me hate you. Unless you tell me you've had a three-some with Rose and Kensei, but then I would just be sick to my stomach and need to commit myself to a padded room."

Kazumi coiled into the warmth that seemed to radiate from the very trim and lanky form that was Shinji Hirako. His words brought both a comforting sigh and an amused chuckle from her. "I guess I should start at the beginning, huh?"

"That's always the best choice."

"I asked Hiyori to take me to Kisuke Urahara's shop this morning because I had another a dream last night."

"How did you know about Kisuke?"

"His name was mentioned in my dream."

"You had another past-life dream?"

She nodded. "Yes. When I told Hiyori of the name, she admitted to knowing him, and when she told me that he was still alive, I implored her to take me to him." She took his hand and gave him a gentle squeeze. "Don't be angry with her. I sort of bribed her into taking me to see him." She peeked up to Shinji to gage his reaction, expecting to see confusion. Instead, she saw an intense expression of seriousness drifting through his slender eyes. She took his quietness as her cue to continue speaking. "You have a right to be mad at me because I lied to you about going to the movies, but I didn't want to upset you or worry you. I thought I would get some unimportant answers and be done with the mess by the time you and I met up, but that did not happen."

Shinji sighed and looked away from her.

"I needed answers, Shinji,' she went on to say cautiously, 'to everything that has been going on. I knew Kisuke would have the answers, and he did. He was able to clear up the confusion that has been building within my mind."

"What did he tell you?" Shinji asked with his voice flattening as they continued on their walk.

"We're skipping ahead."

"Alright. What happened?"

"Well, I passed out the moment I saw him."

Shinji stopped in mid stride and pulled her to stop as well. His eyes leveled to hers as he inquired sharply, "You fainted? Are you sick?"

Kazumi shook her head while stepping to him so she could slip her arms about his slim body and set her cheek against his shoulder. She felt his arms enclose about her in a hesitant, slow move. "No. I'm not sick. I think I became so overwhelmed with all that has been going on that my brain decided I needed a nap." With a sigh and another nuzzle to his shoulder, she continued to say, "I need to apologize to you."

"Apologize for what? You haven't done anything."

"But I do need to apologize for something that I did do." Sighing again, she tightened her arms about him and curled her fingers into his back, gathering fabric within her tight grip. "I didn't realize all the pain I could have caused you by my actions that one night when I thought I had lost you for good. I thought you were dead…"

Frowning, he brought a hand up to brush fingers through her chestnut locks. "We've been over this," he said softly. "I didn't die and you didn't do anything wrong."

"I know. Kisuke explained the entirety of what Sōsuke put you and the others through, the Hollowfication process," she said with a voice that shook. Slowly, she peeked up to him only to see a pained expression reflecting back within his eyes. "I did do something horrible soon after your departure from the Soul Society and during a moment of weakness and poor judgement"

Shinji shook his head and tightened his arm about her. "I wasn't with you, sweetheart, but I can imagine what you had gone through. You were alone, and you were scared."

"I was petrified. I didn't know what to do or who to go to. I was distraught, and I lost all strength I had after Sōsuke threatened me and our child. I remember,' she paused for a moment then turned her eyes down as she lifted her left wrist, 'slicing my wrist open and bleeding dry on the floor of your room."

Shinji winced, closed his eyes then brought her back against him as tightly as he could. "Do we have to talk about this?" he muttered against her hair.

"Yes. This is important," she whispered while looking back up to him. A gulp was forced down her throat as she lifted her left hand to touch his cheek where her soft fingers could caress along his sharp cheekbone. "Will you forgive me, Shinji, for being so weak in mind and spirit that I took the life of your child?"

Shinji blinked his eyes in complete surprise to her humble request. His heart stopped as the muscles that lined his lean body tightened when he saw the emotional agony expressed within the watery tears that began to caress down her cheeks. He could hear her pain echoed within the quiet whimpers and cries that trickled past her lips. "Don't ask me that," he told her passionately as he crushed her against him and buried his face into her hair. "You don't ever have to ask for my forgiveness, especially for what happened back then. I don't blame you for anything that happened."

"But you should blame me," she told him through a tremble of her voice. "In order to keep our child from Sōsuke and his desire to use our child as an experiment, I murdered our child by the fault of my unforgiveable actions."

Shinji groaned and closed his eyes as he drew in a deep breath of her sweet scent. "The one I blame for our child's death is Sōsuke. He backed you into a corner and gave you no other option. You sacrificed yourself and our child to protect both of you, our honor, and our respect. Giving yourself and our child over to Sōsuke would have been unforgivable. We can always have another child, as many as you want, but not without you."

Kazumi licked salty tears from her lips before burying her face to his chest. "Why would you even consider having another child with me after all that happened?"

Shinji tried to pull her face from his chest with his strong yet gentle grip falling upon her shoulders. "Look at me," he instructed her. When she wouldn't not obey his request, only tightening her fingers more, he grunted and had to pull with a bit of force. "Juliana…"

"Don't call me that…" she muttered.

Shinji tipped his head in confusion and chuckled. "What am I supposed to call you? I thought we would save the dirty name calling for later."

"I want you to call me by my real name…"

Shinji chuckled and rolled his eyes. "Juliana is your real name."

"No, it isn't. Juliana is the name Kisuke constructed for me." With a deep breath, she released her hold on his shirt and raised her eyes to him. She tried to give him a firm smile but the corners of her lips faltered with little quivers.

Shinji's eyes seemed to darken with uncertainty as he gazed into her tear stained eyes. "I'm lost. What are you talking about?"

"I know this will be difficult to understand as I am still trying to wrap my thoughts about it," she told him as she touched a finger to his scowling lips. Her smile softened with a touch of determination as she caressed her fingertips across his thin lips.

"I never stopped being Kazumi, Shinji," she said softly, replacing her finger with a touch of her lips.

"I'm an idiot,' he whispered against her lips, 'remember?" Setting his hands upon her shoulders, Shinji gently eased her away from him. "I need shadow puppets and naughty pictures to get something explained to me correctly."

A slender brow arched upon Kazumi's anxiety laced features. Her smile ended in a tender chuckle before she shook her head. "Kazumi never died,' she began to explain to him, gently easing him into the coming smack of reality, 'well, more to the point, I never died. According to Kisuke, you said my name to him just before you were taken out of the Soul Society. He had to act fast, but he was not able to act so he sent one of his associates to find me that night I tried to take my life. A man named Mayuri Kurotsuchi found me in your room and took me back to Kisuke's old Squad before moving me secretly here."

Frowning, she looked away before puffing out a blow of air past her lips. "I had lost so much blood that I had a natural miscarriage, and would have died if Kisuke had not did seen to my care." She looked back to him and tipped her head as her lips drew tight. "Are you following me?"

Shinji's features had turned flat again, his eyes narrowing in thought before he nodded. "Yeah. Go on."

"To keep me safe and to keep Sōsuke from finding me, and possibly all of you, Kisuke began to give me some medications that he had developed in the Soul Society but were never cleared for use. Do you remember the pills I had told you about?"

Shinji nodded.

"Those pills were memory altering pills. You see, Kisuke created a whole new life for me. He even had two of his associates adopt me as their own daughter. We moved all around the world to keep Sōsuke's trackers from finding me. As long as I continued to take the pills, the dosage increasing whenever my memories returned in the form of dreams, I would never know I was somebody else besides Juliana Stanford."

"I don't get it," muttered Shinji with confusion muddling his mind. "If everything you say is true, how have you retained a younger age than when Kazumi…you…both of you died?"

"Kisuke created a special Gigai for me that is different than the design that you and your friends use."

"A special Gigai?" He looked down to her with his forehead knitting. "You're serious, aren't you?" he asked. Lifting a hand, he pressed his palm over her heart to feel the warm, soft beat from within her slender chest. "If your body is a Gigai, then…"

"The Gigai was designed to lock me in an age that could be altered depending upon the situation. Whenever my age became a question, my family would move and start a new life. My mind would be reset so I would not now the difference. I'm not exactly sure how it all worked, but I guess I have been this age for a long time now."

"Why didn't I know of this?"

"This Gigai restricts the detection of my Spiritual Presence by restricting my Spiritual Pressure. I am undetectable by anyone, even you. And since I had no idea of who I am or my history, I guess I never bothered to figure out the specifics of this body." She offered him an apologetic smile. "You didn't know because you were not supposed to know so we would all be safe and not draw the attention of Sōsuke, his associates, or the Head-Captain."

Shinji fell silent as his eyes turned hard and dark.

Kazumi frowned and reached up to touch his face. "Are you alright?"

He slowly shook his head. "Why didn't Kisuke tell me? Damn him," he snarled harshly. "I should have been told. I had a right to know!" Pushing away from her, he began to pace.

"Kisuke was only doing what he thought was the right course of action at the time. He wanted to make sure I was kept safe, Shinji."

Shinji swept a hand out to her as if brushing away her rational statement. "I don't give a damn about what he thought was right. You were mine to protect, then and now. I had every right to know that you were here. The other Visoreds and I have survived without any one knowing of our presence and location for the past century, so I think I could have handled keeping you hidden."

Kazumi nibbled the soft insides of her cheeks as she watched Shinji stalk about before her. With a heavy sigh, she sat to a bench in silence.

"Kisuke had no right to keep me in the dark," Shinji went on to say as his features contorted with anger and his voice became heavy with rage. "I trusted him with my life, so why couldn't he trust me with yours?" Stopping, he looked back to her with a building sense of betrayal tumbling about within the pit of his stomach.

Kazumi stood from the bench and stepped over to him. She reached out for his hands only to frown heavily when she felt his hands shaking aggressively against her palms. "Shinji," she began to say quietly as she raised and pressed their hands against her chest. "I don't know what was going on in Kisuke's mind back then. I'm sure he was acting on a whim. My involvement with you and my life threatening situation was not his responsibility, but he took me under his care anyway and did what he could to see that I survived and, at some point in time, returned to you."

Shinji's anger waned as he watched her raise his hands to her lips. He sighed when she kissed his knuckles.

"Is that not what is important?" She raised her eyes to him and offered him a compassionate smile. "We are reunited once again. We can save the finer details for another day and another conversation with Kisuke. You deserve your answers as well."

"You're damn right I do," he groaned breathily.

"When the time is right, after we have discussed our current situation a little further, we will go knock on his door…"

"I'll kick his door in…"

"The point I am trying to make,' she said with a smirk, 'is that we will approach Kisuke together and have a rational conversation with him. Then, I will sit down with my so called parents so they can explain their side of this entire scam to me." When their eyes met and she noticed a softness return to his gaze, she leaned to kiss his lips.

Shinji returned the kiss as well as he could with his mind still trying to accustom itself to the true fact that she was not Kazumi reincarnated but the original Kazumi in flesh and blood. He licked his dry lips and forced a lump down his throat as he unlaced his hands with hers so he could run a set of thin fingers through her hair.

"Are you really my Kazumi?" he asked in a voice that shook.

Kazumi nodded. "As far as I know. However, if you'd like a DNA sample, I can…"

Before she could finish her sentence, Shinji tightened his grip within her hair and pulled her to him. He slanted his mouth against hers as he claimed her lips in a heated and passionate kiss. His kiss was brutal, his tongue thrusting into the depths of her mouth without permission as she let out a surprised squeak. All of his passion, every single emotion, exploded within that kiss, and he snarled possessively as he commanded her supple mouth with his. He heard her moan and heard her whimper as she melted against him.

Kazumi clutched him, curling her fingers into his shirt as if she were afraid to let him go. Hearing her name whispered against her lips caused her to tremble against him and seek solace within the strength of his kiss and the hardness of his body.

Breaking the kiss, Shinji, panting heavily, set his forehead to hers as he forced his building passions back under his control. "You're alive. You're really alive."

Kazumi's flushed lips curled in to a soft smile, and she closed her eyes as a subtle warmth swept through her heart. "Yes," she replied. "I'm alive."

Shinji looked about the walkway that lined the canal then, with a grin suddenly forming upon his lips, looked to her with a seductive shadow darkening his gaze. "Do you trust me?" he asked while slipping an arm about her waist to draw her securely against him.

Kazumi blinked her eyes as she was pulled against him. She nodded and said with passion lacing her voice, "With all my heart."

Leaning to her, Shinji took his lover's lips in another loving kiss. "Good," he whispered then pulled her along with him in an expertly executed Shunpo.

14


	12. Just Feel

Honey Eyes A Bleach Fanfiction S . Lazic

Just Feel

**(Warning: Lemon 18+)**

**K**azumi's back hit the wall as a sharp gasp of excitement percolated from her throat. The moment their bodies materialized, Shinji pushed her against the closest wall as his skilled hands pulled apart the fabric which happened to be keeping him from her curved body, the body he had desired for so long.

For one-hundred years, he had craved his Kazumi. He had dreamed of holding her, kissing her, and feeling her against him, yet for the last part of the day he found that he had been craving Juliana just as much. Now he that had them both, had Kazumi and Juliana in one beautiful body, he was like an animal and she was his prey.

His mouth was upon hers, wildly feasting upon her succulent lips passed growls of searing desire. Shinji could not remember being so wanton with her. He had always been gentle with her, allowing their passions to build, but, at this moment, his fingers were dragging against her exposed flesh upon her sides to slip beneath aggravating fabric to scar her quivering flesh with his nails. He could feel her arching from the wall to press against him; her arms wrapped about his shoulders and her fingers threading into his short hair. Such sweet lips parted against his kiss as he drank in the sensual moans and quivering whimpers that she sang. Shinji's body shivered as Kazumi's nails scraped through his hair dragging sharpness down the back of his neck causing a deep groan to bubble against the kiss.

Her hips thrust against him; Kazumi trembled. Oh, the excitement that coursed through her as her lover tore into her shirt. Hearing fabric rip brought a sharp, high pitched whimper from her throat. Before she could count to ten it seemed that she was back in his room and he was upon her.

Violent excitement rushed Kazumi as Shinji advanced on her like a demon hungry, anxious for her naked flesh. Being pinned to the wall thrilled her, and when his body pushed her flush to the structure behind her, she trembled and whimpered hungrily for him. He gripped her hips, yanking her against him, and ground his body against her in reply to her whimpers and cries of want and need. When he was not kissing her lips, brutally attacking the plush petals, he was upon her throat - nipping and biting and suckling her skin. His hands drove her body insane with each caress, and each tender yet painful scrape of his nails across her abdomen brought her body to shiver with want.

Kazumi gasped as Shinji's sharp teeth latched onto her shoulder, securing his jaws against her flesh so to mark her as his. His long fingers, tight and deadly yet so lovingly gentle, spread over her stomach only to pause when Shinji released her shoulder. He let his lips skim along the pounding pulse-line in her neck then along her jaw till he kissed her lips. Kazumi shivered, whimpered then moaned as her lips found his once again. She wanted more of him, yet he seemed to slow the heated intensity that had erupted between them. The kiss was gentle yet no less passionate as the wild embrace that she had just been gifted with subsided. However, when his lips drew away, Kazumi gazed back to her lover, with shadows of pleasure within her eyes, only to see his own gaze searching her features. As her lips parted to inquire as to what was wrong, she felt his fingers stroke along her stomach.

Shinji's eyes closed as he felt her smooth flesh beneath his fingertips, the sleek muscles shifting in reflex to his caress. He leaned to her till his palm was flat against her stomach as he set his forehead to hers while offering her a tender smile. "Tell me,' he whispered so softly, 'when I have taken Sōsuke's pathetic excuse for a life, ripping his soul from his body by my own hands, will you stay with me so we can finally have the peace to start our life together?"

Kazumi tipped her head as her fingers came from her lover's golden hair to cup his sharp features within her hands so she could guide his head away from her. "I'll fight by your side, where I belong, Shinji," she whispered passionately before dragging his mouth to hers. She kissed him soundly then, the tip of her warm, moist tongue slipping out to caress the parting of his flushed mouth. This time, she heard him groan.

Kazumi's hands glided down his body finding each and every button that lined the center of his chest, popping one after another free from the black and red pin-striped shirt. Since Shinji had so kindly torn her shirt from her body, she could at least return the favor. Fabric parted beneath the trail of her devious fingers that snuck between his warm skin and loose shirt, trailing upwards till the fabric was pushed from his thin shoulders. Her lips formed against his, slanting softly, and when his mouth parted, welcoming her movements, Kazumi let her tongue slip forwards to mate with his in an intimate dance. His hands spread along her flesh, smoothing downwards in gentle caresses till nimbleness had her digits slipping beneath the waist of her jeans.

The fire of lust simmering within his soul came back in full force along with intensity rushing quickly throughout their bodies as each stroked the other. Kazumi's hands tugged roughly till her lover's shirt vacated Shinji's upper body to expose his pale flesh to her hungry desires. Shinji, while grinning wickedly to her desperation, continued to kiss her, rougher and deeper, till she was whimpering and quivering while his fingers unbuttoned and unzipped her jeans. Shinji's deft fingers easily pushed down both her jeans and silky panties, mumbling to Kazumi to kick away her shoes as he did so then looped an arm about her to tickle a set of skilled fingers along her back. With one flick of his fingers, Shinji was able to unclasp her bra then slip his dangerous digits beneath the thin straps to guide the remaining fabric from her shoulders. A wiggle of her arms had the remaining clothing item drifting from her luscious body.

He was upon her then, shoving his body against hers while forcing her back to the wall roughly. His nails tore at her skin, dragging down her back, over one curved hip then down to curl to a slender thigh. The feeling of her naked breasts brushing against his chest, her pert nipples teasingly his flesh, drove Shinji to growl heatedly against her lips. For one trained in expert control and for one who took a lot of arrogant pride in having such control, he was willing to toss that all away to touch her, to have her, and to take her.

Using his body to secure her and using his mouth to silence her, Shinji let his fingers touch her. Skilled and deadly fingertips brushed down her flesh to seek out the heated core of her womanly body that he knew quivered for his attention. When he touched her intimately, touched her slickening folds, Kazumi's arched violently to him, and her lips broke from his to cry out to the room. When he stroked her, Shinji groaned in pleasure upon feeling her nails dig into his flesh, no doubt to leave crescent marked lines of red come morning. On the other hand, the momentary kiss of pain was worth the scars.

Kazumi's eyes tightened shut and her lips parted with trembling cries as she felt her lover's fingers part the moist flesh between her thighs to slowly stroke her - pet her - caress her. When his touch found the little bundle of nerves hood by quivering flesh to play with, Kazumi's body jerked as a sharp spark of pleasure tore through her. Her hips pressed forwards, wanting more of his attention. Then he was kissing her flesh, trailing his lips along her throat to flick the moist, hot tip of his tongue over the dip of her collarbones before moving over tendons that he nibbled and teased till she moaned deeply his name. That moan turned in to a sharp scream of pleasure the moment a deviant finger of his entered her body, parting her and caressing her while moving slowly till the digit became embedded deeply within her. Kazumi's form shuddered and her nails clutched his shoulders as he groaned against the arch of her throat.

"Shinji," whimpered the quivering beauty as his digit began its torturous play of slipping out then slipping back in, knuckle deep each and every time! The feeling was more than incredible! The way he touched her, guided her, and played her left Kazumi panting and moaning.

Shinji brought her higher and higher with just the caress of his slender fingers within her body and, by the feeling of his palm brushing and teasing against her moist folds, induced more and more cries of sexual bliss to cascade the room. Harder - faster - Shinji pumped his fingers in and out of the tight confines of her hot flesh, curling and scraping his fingertips along the sensitive flesh of her pulsating walls in order to draw out sharp whimpers from her parted lips. He loved how she felt, heaving and quivering against him - arching and thrusting her hips to meet his driving fingers. Shinji loved even more the quick and high pitched sounds that came with Kazumi's growing orgasm, as well as the way her flesh began to tighten and spasm about his fingers.

He wasn't done with her, not even close. Shinji wasn't about to let her reach that exotic tumble of bodily pleasure so soon. As he felt her flexing walls start to spasm about his fingers, his lips pulled back and his gaze turned dark to match the wicked grin that spread across his lips. Their eyes locked, and he could see her gaze filled with lusty haze.

"Shinji, don't you…" Kazumi whimpered upon seeing the deviant look within his gaze.

Her whimpers ended in a groan as her eyes closed and her head tipped back when she felt his driving fingers leave her screaming body. Before she could curse at him, Shinji easily lifted her in his strong arms. His lips were upon hers, sealing her growls in a searing kiss. His tongue thrust past her lips, feasting upon her whimpers, as she found herself wrapping her quivering limbs about him. Her body was on fire, and the core of her throbbing body spasmed for his attention - screaming on the very edge of release!

With a few strides, their bodies crumbled down upon the bed. Shinji arched over her, dragging his fingers along her flesh as Kazumi's sweat touched body arched and writhed beneath his lean yet powerful male frame. His lips feasted upon her own, forcing their desire to climb to incinerating flames once again. To hear her scream out into the depth of their kiss could only be called music by him. Every moan and every whimper that followed due to the torture one hand delved upon a plush breast was but a note of pure ecstasy to him. His fingertips toyed with the soft yet firm flesh, tweaking and twisting the coral tipped nipple till the flesh responded by hardening between his fingers.

When the kiss ended, Kazumi tossed her head back to cry his name the instant his moist, warm mouth enclosed about the hard nipple, suckling the bud into his mouth. He lavished the peak with his tongue before nipping the flesh with his teeth. Kazumi's response thrilled him. The way her body jerked, the way her head lulled back upon waves of her chestnut hair, and the way her moans formed his name spurred painful hunger for her through him, and he loved it all.

As his lips feasted upon her breast, suckling and nibbling, Shinji slid his other hand down her quivering belly - skimming over flesh to once again seek out the slick folds of her sex. One soft touch, a slow but delicate caress, had his lover's body shuddering against him. Her moans grew hotter, falling from her lips when he parted the outer folds of her womanhood to rub the little bundle of excited nerves that wept for his attention. Her hips thrust upwards and a cry echoed the room followed by a sharp hiss when her nails descended upon his back. Kazumi clawed at him, leaving red lines from his lower back to his shoulders, yet the pain only increased his desire. Releasing her breast from his mouth, Shinji slid his sleek form along hers till he seized her trembling lips in a burning kiss, his tongue seeking refuge within the warm recesses of her mouth, and with less gentility than before. Her arms came to wrap about his shoulders and her legs parted to welcome his body as her attention was drawn to the intense kiss.

Shinji hissed to a gentle bite that befell his lips when he began to thrust his fingers into her once again. He knew that the bite was a silent protest for Kazumi desired not his fingers to assault her but the swelling length of flesh that currently throbbed within the tight fabric of his pants. Kazumi did not want his fingers, she wanted him. To hold back any longer would be cruel to both, so Shinji shed himself of his remaining clothes, including shoes and socks, so he could press his nakedness against her. The sensation of hot flesh to hot flesh nearly drove him to cry out his own pleasure!

Kazumi was with him again, seeking out the pleasure they had shared many a night within the Soul Society. Though this room was not Shinji's quarters back within Squad Five, this room was his. This was his bed she lay upon that held his familiar sent, and this was the bed that he had taken her for the first time, making her his, and the same bed that would be theirs to share and make love upon - to create new life. Kazumi eyes drifted open as Shinji arched over her while shifting himself between her parted legs, ready to welcome her Captain back within her body.

However, expecting to see an expression of passion shadowing his face, Kazumi was a little surprised to see a smug grin ghosting across his lips. He was up to something. Before she could question him, Shinji gripped her hips and twisted her over till she lay upon her stomach. Kazumi looked over her shoulder to see him looming over her, his lean body hunched down as he brushed back locks of her chestnut hair from her shoulders to pool at one side.

He kissed her neck, nuzzled her hair then whispered lovingly to her, "Close your eyes, just feel."

Just…Feel…

Kazumi's heart pounded in her body. His lips were feather soft as his touch ghosted down her spine, drifting over one curved hip then over the quivering muscles of her rump before dipping between her legs. She pressed her features into a pillow where the softness soaked up her moan when she felt her lover's fingers stroking her slick folds. She arched her hips back to him, offering an unspoken beg to Shinji for more. Her fingers curled into the black sheets of the bed, and when his fingers slipped into her from behind, Kazumi's body fell prey to the deep stroking of his digits. His lips kissed her flesh, nipping with his teeth and licking with his tongue, and for minutes his fingers teased her in order to guide her closer to that edge of pleasure as Kazumi's whimpers and cries danced the room.

When Shinji could not bear the torment any longer, when his lover's cries became begs and when her body became so hot that the liquid flames licked at his pumping fingers, he withdrew his fingers from her wet sheath to grip her hips. He raised her hips before him with his eyes drinking in her body as he hunched over her so his lips could brush to her neck. Drawing her back to him and with one flex forwards, Shinji slid his throbbing flesh into her. He groaned tightly as his body slipped further and further into the liquid depths of her quivering channel. Arching his lean body, Shinji buried his face into the waves of her chestnut hair strewn about her shoulders. He could hear Kazumi's moans being drowned out by the pillow against her features, and he could feel the way her body went still as her flesh was parted and opened by him. Inch after swollen inch pressed inwards till her soft channel embraced him lovingly, then he stilled and lowered his slender frame against her back.

Once joined physically, the two lovers panted together till her body relaxed about him and Shinji began to move against her, encouraging their sensual mating. He slowly arched his naked body above her, one hand falling to caress over one of her slender, quivering thighs while his fingers found their way around a curved hip to spread and press to her stomach as he lifted her hips up and back just a bit more. Kazumi's legs parted thus giving his rocking hips an angle that deepened his gliding penetration. With each thrust of his body and with each drive of his embedded length within her, more and more of her increasing cries of pleasure pressed into the pillow. Soon, Shinji set the erotic rhythm of his thrusts moving in perfect harmony with Kazumi as she began to sway to meet him.

Closing his eyes, Shinji leaned his head back as his lips pressed tightly together to silence the pleasured groan that threatened to turn into a wild snarl. His thrusts became rougher, harder and more intense, and soon the room became decorated with the erotic sound of their bodies connecting - flesh to slapping flesh.

Faster and harder - over and over - did the lovers move, rocking back and driving forwards with their bodies moving in symphonic motion, naked and slick and together in time. Shinji could feel his own orgasmic tension building within the pit of his soul, burning and clawing to be released. Before him, Kazumi began to desperately grind herself against him, thrusting her hips with as much hunger and need as he was feeling curling about within his stomach. She was trembling body to body and in a way that snared his desires and pulled upon his pleasures.

When he felt her tight walls about his pumping organ start to cry their hot, liquid tears, Shinji could no longer restrain his pleasures or the release they both craved. When his fingers met her wet flesh, seeking the quivering bundle of nerves hooded by her folds, Kazumi nearly bowed against him. She parted her legs to grant him the access he needed so that his touch could meet her flesh causing her body to spasm. With only a few strokes of his talented fingers in time with his thrusts, she was sent tumbling over the edge of pleasure. She arched against him, violently gyrating her hips in an overwhelming need to increase her release till a cry of sexual bliss tore from her throat. Chestnut locks, thick and damp, swam about her as she tossed her head back; her face a mask of erotica.

Shinji nearly cried out as her hot walls convulsed, stroking his flesh and pulling his swollen shaft deeper till he felt the tip press against her womb. The sensations flooded him with unstable emotions that surged possession and passion through him. If there was such a thing as painful pleasure, this was it. No longer could he contain himself, and with his grip digging into her flanks and an animalistic howl reverberating in his throat, his released erupted from him along with a the vicious groan. Their bodies stilled, jerking against each other and quivering within each other's sexual release.

Slowly, Shinji bent forwards so he could kiss Kazumi's damp neck while whispering incoherent promises of love. He then moved from her, drawing out his flesh with a wince before falling to the bed. From the corner of his eyes, he saw Kazumi settle to the bed and, with a smirk, reached out to gather her into his shivering embrace. She offered him an exhausted yet pleased smile and curled herself into his embrace as he draped an arm over the curve of her hips and kissed her forehead. They looked into each other's eyes, smiling in contented pleasure, before Kazumi leaned to him to offer her lips. Unable to ignore such a succulent offer, Shinji cupped her damp features and dipped his head to kiss her.

"I love you,' he whispered against her lips, 'my Kazumi."

.

**T**he Hell known as Los Noches…

"Wake up," growled Grimmjow to the unconscious girl crumbled upon the ground. When she didn't wake up, he poked her with a foot none too gently. "I said, wake up."

"Why don't you try giving her a kiss?" Luppi snickered darkly as he looked from the rough actions of Grimmjow to the unique and rather attractive mortal laid out unconscious upon the cold floor.

Grimmjow's teal-blue eyes narrowed dangerously as he regarded the lower ranked Arrancar. "Fuck off. You've done your job, now get out of here," he snapped, pointing back to the door of Lord Aizen's so called 'throne room.' Again he poked the girl with the tip of his toes. "What is wrong with her?" he growled.

"She can't answer you when she is unconscious." Luppi rolled his beautiful eyes.

"Then I'll just wake her up!" Grimmjow snapped excitedly as he went to one knee, balled up a fist then cocked back his arm aiming a powerful punch to the girl's head.

"Grimmjow!" Luppi yelped with his eyes going wide. He snapped out a long, sleeve covered hand as if to stop the higher ranked Espada. "Remember, you can't harm her!"

"Enough, Grimmjow."

Grimmjow and Luppi blinked their eyes as their attention was shifted towards a deep voice that sent trembles of instant dominance down their spines. Walking towards them was Kaname Tousen and Gin Ichimaru as both men walked, with purpose, across the large room with their direction taking them to the small group. Grimmjow slowly stood and took a step back, lowering his hand as he did so. With a mutter under his breath, he shoved his hands into the folds of his white Hakama and turned his eyes away.

"Tisk, tisk, Grimmjow,' Gin purred in his sadistically mocking voice of his. A wild, fox-like grin spread his sly features. "No striking the honored guest."

With a scoff, Grimmjow cast the ex-Captain a snarl. "She won't wake up."

"That does not mean you are allowed to strike her," Kaname added quietly as he knelt to the girl's side. His dark lips turned to a frown as he touched two fingertips to her neck. "Her pulse is strong. What happened to her?" he asked, turning his pupil-less eyes towards Grimmjow. "You were instructed not to harm her."

"I didn't touch her," Grimmjow muttered.

"Oh?" Gin grinned as he looked down to the mortal's exposed breast. "I suppose she tore her shirt with the simple enjoyment of exposing her breast to you?" Hearing a threatening growl come from Grimmjow widened Gin's broad grin. "Oh dear,' he said softly yet with a high amount of enjoyment to his voice, 'are those bruises upon her neck?"

Kaname gently turned the girl's head to the side to inspect the bruises that he noticed then covered her breast to save her some dignity. "She is due some respect," Kaname quietly said before lifting his blank gaze to Luppi. "I ask again, what happened to her? You were ordered to inform Grimmjow not to harm her."

Luppi snapped an arm out, ruffling long sleeve, as he pointed to Grimmjow. "I stopped him. He was about to rape this girl!"

"Shut your mouth, you little shit!" Grimmjow howled, turning upon the shorter Arrancar. "I had full right to do whatever I wanted with her before you showed up."

"I certainly showed up in time, didn't I? Otherwise, you would be nothing but a burnt pile of ash right now."

Shaking his head, Kaname stood and turned to regards the two. "Enough," he hissed. "Luppi, you may go. Grimmjow, you are to stay."

Luppi's lips coiled in to a sarcastic grin before he cast Grimmjow a critical and nasty smile. He turned about and casually strolled from the room. When the doors closed behind the retreating Arrancar, Gin stepped to the girl and leaned over her to cast his gaze upon her sleeping features. Slowly, his closed eyes opened then narrowed in curiosity.

"What is it, Gin?" Kaname inquired as he noticed his associate open his eyes, a move that was rare. "What do you see?"

"I'm not really sure. This one looks oddly familiar."

Kaname watched as Gin's fingers unwound from a long sleeves to reach down to tip the girl's features towards him. "Familiar?"

Gin brushed his fingers gently along Dai's jaw as his mind scrutinized every detail of her face. After a moment of contemplation, he stated firmly, "She is not human."

Not human? Grimmjow arched a brow as he turned his eyes to the Soul Reapers. He then looked to the unconscious girl with a mild pull of curiosity.

"I see our guest has arrived."

All eyes turned upon the deep voice that resonated warmly about the room. Gin and Kaname stood as the Lord of Los Noches stepped forth from the dim shadows. Grimmjow grunted out a heavy sigh. As Sōsuke came closer, he turned his deep brown eyes to Dai before arching a slender brow to Grimmjow. He did not miss the torn fabric of the girl's shirt. "I see that Luppi was able to deliver my orders to you before you lost your control."

Grimmjow snarled towards the Soul Reaper.

"Has her room been prepared for her arrival?" Sōsuke inquired of Gin.

"Everything is as you requested," Gin replied as his gaze shifted back down to the girl.

"What is it, Gin?" Sōsuke asked his associate upon noting that Gin's eyes were open.

"Only a thought, Lord Aizen," said Gin on random thought. "This girl looks familiar to me."

"Oh?"

"Gin believes she is not human," Kaname added.

"Gin?" Sōsuke turned his eyes back to the ex-Captain of Squad Three.

Shrugging his shoulders, Gin closed his eyes and turned towards Sōsuke with his lips forming his trademark fox-like smile. "Perhaps I am mistaken."

Sōsuke's eyes narrowed in curious thought.

"What shall we do with her?" Kaname inquired.

"Once she recovers herself, she will be properly welcomed to our home," said Sōsuke calmly. "She may go wherever she wishes within the main floors of Los Noches."

"Are you sure it's wise to let her wander around without an escort?" Gin asked.

"Are you worried, Gin?" asked Sōsuke with just a touch of humor to his voice.

"I am only concerned for her safety. As you can see from the state of her clothing, even our dear Espada may not be able to keep their hands off of her. There are areas within the castle that should be off limits to her, such as individual territories controlled by the Espada. The last thing you would want is for her to go wandering into Szayel's territory."

"I see," said Sōsuke before he nodded in agreement and looked to Kaname. Kaname? I would like it if Nozomi would see to our guest when she awakens. I believe Nozomi would be an appropriate individual to help our guest grow accustom to her new surroundings. It is vital that our guest adapts to her new home as easily as possible, if she is to accept my will and understand what is in store for her. She will need a warm heart to embrace and support her, a friend within the darkness."

Kaname's lips tightened when Sōsuke mentioned his lover. Without arguing, he nodded and stated, "Of course." Then he tipped his head and cast his blind gaze towards Grimmjow. "She will need a personal guard, one whose presence is strong enough to deter any Arrancar who may view her as an easy target."

Sōsuke's gaze shifted to look upon the Sixth Espada. "Point well taken," he said. "Grimmjow. Since you seem to have taken a liking to this girl, you will act as her guard. It will be your duty to make sure she survives. If one hair is harmed upon her head, I will take your life as payment."

Grimmjow's eyes went wide with a look of shock and horror. "What? You've got to be fucking kidding me!" He swept his arms wide then jabbed a finger towards the unconscious girl. "Why should I babysit this pathetic human?"

"Because her death, I have decided, would sadden Kazumi. I will not upset her. I need this girl alive and unharmed in order to use her to convince Kazumi to return to me." Sōsuke's voice dropped to a threatening tone as his eyes narrowed with a dangerous glare. "Do I make myself clear, Grimmjow? One hair…"

"Do I have a choice?" snarled Grimmjow.

Kaname turned his eyes to the Espada. He hissed dangerously, "Such insolence."

Grimmjow narrowed his eyes towards Kaname then shrugged his shoulders. "Fine," he bit out angrily.

"Good," said Sōsuke with an unreadable smile touching his handsome face. "Take her to her room and stay there till Nozomi arrives to care for her."

Grumbling under his breath, Grimmjow stepped to the unconscious girl and knelt to gather her limp body into his arms. Without a look back, he carried his new ward from the throne room as if her weight was becoming a ball and chain around his throat.

Gin watched Grimmjow depart the room with growing uneasy settling within his mind. He still had a nagging thought that he knew the girl, had seen her somewhere before. But where? One way or another, he would determine the source of his discomfort and find out who, exactly, this girl was.

**G**rimmjow's curses danced off the stone walls of Las Noches' winding hallways. His eyes bore into the back of the low level Arrancar who was guiding him to private quarters where Lord Aizen's guest would be staying.

He scowled in repulsion as he looked upon the spindly Arrancar whose lower body was that of a worm with protruding legs that shifted his body with a lurching motion. The Arrancar's arms swayed at its side beneath thin sleeves that made the appendages appear as nothing more than long bones. No hair was upon its bald head, and the mask that fully covered its face had no slits for a mouth, only a small cut-out for a single eye that was orange. This Arrancar was nothing more than a mutant to Grimmjow, and it made him shudder and tighten his grip upon the unconscious girl held within his arms. To him, this girl was of higher rank than that Arrancar.

They turned one more corner when the Arrancar stopped at a door and lifted a gnarled hand to tap talons to a key pad. After punching in a simple numerical code, the door slowly drew open. The Arrancar stepped back and offered a bow to Grimmjow.

Grimmjow snarled in disgust before stepping past the door and kicking it shut. That 'thing' was about to enter the room, but Grimmjow wouldn't allow that and kicked the door shut. The moment the door shut, soft illumination shined from the high ceiling of stone. The room was no different than any of the private chambers belonging to the Espada and offered enough essentials for the girl be comfortable.

Grimmjow carried his ward across the small sitting room and into a secondary room where he deposited her to the bed. Grimmjow's lips coiled in a snarl as he gazed down to her, his teal-blue eyes seemingly glowing within the dim lights of the bedroom. What was so important about this human? After all, she was just a human - expendable.

Moving to lean over her, he snarled in her ear, "Listen well, girl. Don't cross me. I don't need you becoming a problem for me. Lord Aizen said I couldn't hurt you, but there are other ways I can harm you…"

"Grimmjow…"

Hearing his name spoke upon a familiar and gentle voice had Grimmjow arching back from the bed. He stuffed his hands into the folds of his Hakama before turning his slender gaze to Nozomi Nagarishi, lover to Kaname Tousen. Out of all the females within Los Noches, Arrancar and Espada alike, Grimmjow could tolerate her. Then again, she was not Arrancar or an Espada. She was a Soul Reaper who had followed Kaname when Lord Aizen had deflected from the Seireitei. Grimmjow had to admit that Nozomi was a beautiful woman with long hair cascading to her hips, interwoven with gold and copper colors. Her skin was flawless and fair, and Grimmjow found himself transfixed by her stunning eyes of violet.

There was no way to argue with her for if any raised their voice towards her they would not only face the First Espada, who acted as her guard, but also face Kaname Tousen. One could look upon her, appreciate her beauty from afar, but never touch.

"You have tormented her enough," Nozomi said softly as she walked to the other side of the bed, sat to the edge then began to look over the unconscious mortal. She muttered something quietly as her eyes lifted to scan the room. "It's so dark in here. I can hardly see what damage you may have caused to her."

Grimmjow muttered and rolled his eyes. "I have done nothing to her."

Nozomi brushed her fingers along the girl's neck, tipping her head this way then that. Her soft lips turned down in a frown as she noticed the bruises. She then looked up to Grimmjow and said with cautious, "I suppose these bruises appeared on their own?"

Grimmjow growled and raised his chin in silent defiance.

"And the rip in her shirt?"

He said nothing.

Nozomi tsked. She pulled the blanket over the girl and stated, "She seems to be alright. However, I will ask Szayel to perform a complete physical once she has woken. I will see that a meal is brought to her and a change of fresh clothes."

"Szayel?" Grimmjow hissed that name as he turned his eyes to narrow upon the Soul Reaper. "Why do you want to get him involved? He's insane."

Nozomi folded her hands delicately to her white skirt as she tipped her head. "He may be insane, Grimmjow, but he is our resident physician so he does have a right to give her an examination. Does that idea bother you?"

"Like Hell it does," he growled while shrugging his shoulders. "I don't care what happens to her."

"We shall see. The final decision of her care is under Lord Aizen's authority," Nozomi said softly as she stood. She offered a polite nod to Grimmjow. "I will return shortly with both Szayel and a change of clothing for her. If she awakens before I return, do call for me." With a graceful bow to him, Nozomi smiled then departed the room upon graceful steps.

"Damn," he muttered after crossing the room.

He dragged out a chair from a simple table to the edge of the bed then sat heavily with his legs stretching out before him. He crossed his arms to his partially clothed chest as he placed a foot to the end of the bed so he could rock the chair back and balance himself. His eyes drifted closed as he leaned his head back and began to rock the chair with the subtle motion of his foot. What was he supposed to do now, wait for Nozomi to return with Szayel? Very well. If he had nothing else to do but wait, he might as well get comfortable.

**S**hinji couldn't sleep. His mind was turning too fast for rest to claim dominance in his struggle to rest. So many thoughts, so many worries and so many concerns, twisted and turned within his thoughts. With every minute of every day, Aizen was gathering his forces and creating new creatures to destroy anything he deemed fit to extinguish. There was no way Shinji was going to let that happen. Sōsuke needed to pay for all that he had done, to the Visoreds and to Shinji and Kazumi a century ago. Now that she had returned to him, Shinji had a duty to protect her from Sōsuke, to make amends for failing her.

With a heavy and pained sigh, Shinji tightened his arms about Kazumi while pressing closer to her. He nuzzled her hair and drew in a deep lungful of her scent, a delightful mixture of sex. She was sound asleep; he could hear the soothing sounds of her breaths and felt the gentle rise and fall of her naked breasts beneath his arm. He spread his fingers over her heart to feel the delicate thumping from within her slender chest. He needed reassurance that she was alive.

With a sigh, he closed his eyes and brushed his lips to her shoulder. He heard a little mew in the form of her sleepy response and smiled when she moved closer to him as if seeking out the warmth and the security that he offered her. He drifted his deadly fingers along her naked arm, brushing back locks of her hair so he could touch her cheek. He didn't want to wake her. In fact, he was almost afraid to touch her, afraid that she and this moment would suddenly vanish and leave him alone and empty once again.

There was nothing to fear. Shinji was with his Kazumi again, his true love - his heart - his soul - his life - his everything.

He nuzzled her hair as he let his fingers trail back down her arm, dusting his fingertips over the curve of her hip before moving to spread across her abdomen. He thought back to that beautiful day beneath the cherry tree when Kazumi had told him that she was pregnant. Knowing that his seed had once taken root within her to produce a living soul spread a blanket of pride within him. He had been so close to being a father, but then everything crumbled.

What would happen to them now? If Aizen was defeated and all the damage between the Head-Captain and the Visoreds was repaired, would they be welcomed back to the Soul Society and accepted once again into the positions they had once held? Would the Visoreds consider returning to the Seireitei and to their comrades who had turned their backs on them, offering them as sacrifices to their politics? Could Shinji trust the Head-Captain and Central Forty-Six again? If the decision was made to return, would Kazumi return with him? Too many questions began to resurface within his mind, and they made his stomach twist with discomfort.

This was their home, not the Soul Society. Here, in the World of the Living, there was no Central Forty-Six making decisions on who could live or who could die based upon the rules of the Seireitei. Here, they could live in freedom within the laws of the mortal world. He and Kazumi could share passion filled days and erotic nights; they could share their dreams and create their future together.

Sighing, Shinji leaned over her so he could brush his lips against her cheek. "I promise you,' he said softly as he kissed her cheek again, 'that, when this is all over, we'll go someplace far away where nobody can find us. We'll be happy again, and, if you want, we'll work on having another child."

He closed his eyes and tucked her tighter within his arms. "I'll be the best dad to our child and the best man to you. I'll make you happy this time, I promise."

As Shinji's mind began to drift into the comforting embrace of sleep, his hand slid over one of Kazumi's naked breasts. He heard, through his hazed mind, his lover murmur something within her sleep, so he spread his fingers over her flesh, seeking out the needed beat of her heart…if…to…

…just feel…

15


End file.
